Comments on: Iraq National Sovereignty Day: Irony and Promise

By: Maximilian Forte

Maximilian Forte — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:21:19 +0000

Before you go calling anyone a “jerk”, from your safe hideout in Dubai, try to focus on what was actually written, rather than assume the presence of words that are not there.. You wrote, “looked at your last Paragraph ,, well for a jerk who says yes to violent Attacks on innocent Arab , Kurd and Turk Iraqis ???”

This is what the last paragraph says:

“The Financial Times ended its piece of non-euphoria with this bit of one-sided, unsolicited edification: “This is an important moment. But it is only the Iraqis who will decide whether they can summon the will to live together and put their nation and state back together” (emphasis added). Only the Iraqis who will decide — let us see who will decide to leave Iraqis alone for the first time in their modern history, and for long enough, to actually have a chance to decide for themselves. In the meantime, the real value of an annual “Sovereignty Day” is that it will stand as an ironic reminder of all that has not been achieved, all that belies the term, and what remains to be done.”

Notice how absolutely nothing in there supports your assertion, not even relating to it minimally.

I don’t know if you are reading the article using an automated, online translation service, or if you are writing in English using such a translator, but either way there seems to be some serious misunderstanding and miscommunication taking place. Having said that, if I can assume to have understood your main points, all I can say is that yours is one point of view, and I don’t agree with it.

By: Almaleki

Almaleki — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:39:37 +0000

well ,,, what did you think ?? that the whole American Army Withdraw ?? do you know that will Block our Economy ,, Our Oil Production ,, at least they got out of here in our Eye Vision ,,, No body say well that is not FULL sovereignty maybe Partial ,, you see Maybe Almaleki ( Happens to that i am from the same Tribe but not the same section of the tribe )

i looked at your last Paragraph ,, well for a jerk who says yes to violent Attacks on innocent Arab , Kurd and Turk Iraqis ??? and likes Mujjahadi and Takfiri …. it is in its place … thought you never did / will visit Iraq ,, My Father is Shia ,, my Mother is Sunni ,, my Aunt is married to sunni man ,, There is no thing to fight for in Iraq for terroists and Takfiri ,,, as they are racists from outside Iraq or Iraqis Druged ,,, and they will be crushed in the way of the Democracy of Iraq ,, because the Iraqi People is with that Democracy ,, and Nobody could stop that including you ,,

and you will see ,, as Before The Iraqi People have been tooking for Sectarian Parties in the Elections and now in 4 Years Timeline ,,, everybody thinks that those Parties wont ever get what they got before 4 Years ,, thats Why Almaleki Will start nonsectarian Party in this weeks that will include Arab ( Shia , Sunni , Christians ) , kurds and Turkmen ….. because Iraq wont Elect Another Sectarian Party because they want National Party ,, just like the one who won the Last Election under the Name Party of Law .. it took 10 Provinces as Majorty ( the election was from 14 Province ,, all sunni because Almaleki that time did not took the tribes with him ,, in the next election he will )

Cheers

By: Maximilian Forte

Maximilian Forte — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:55:36 +0000

Thanks very much, and hopefully readers will also look at your “The Iraq Show”:

http://www.whyweworry.com/blog/2009/07/06/the-iraq-show/

By: Clint

Clint — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:31:01 +0000

Excellent post, Mr. Forte. Thanks for seeing through the heap of illusions that the U.S. has tried to hand us.

By: Maximilian Forte

Maximilian Forte — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:25:56 +0000

One more follow up: Iraqis skeptical about significance of US pullback Some extracts: Iraqis are skeptical that much will change after last week's pullback of U.S. combat troops from Baghdad and other cities, a sentiment not shared by their government. The government declared the June 30 pullback National Sovereignty Day and celebrated it with a military parade and noisy street celebrations by Iraqi soldiers and police. But there was no spontaneous outpouring of joy by Iraqis since many of them did not see the move as significant, with some 130,000 U.S. troops remaining in the country. "The celebrations were contrived, almost like a farce," said Salman Hassan, who runs an electrical supplies store in eastern Baghdad. "The Americans did not go anywhere far, they are on the outskirts of our cities." ....Most troops pulled back to bases outside urban areas, but the U.S. military left an undisclosed number behind to train and advise the Iraqis. The U.S. military has refused to reveal their number, fearful of feeding any criticism that the Americans aren't honoring the pact or casting doubt on the ability of the Iraqis to handle security alone.

By: Maximilian Forte

Maximilian Forte — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:32:30 +0000

A follow up on this piece:

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Iraq on Thursday, 02 July, 2009, and offered these remarkable comments:

“…I do think that the Iraqis have become interested in their nationhood. They’ve become interested in the idea that they run their own lives.”

Apparently, in Biden’s world, Iraq has only recently become interested in self-rule and nationhood.

Regarding achieving “a stable, functioning government where there is neither sectarian violence nor ethnic violence,” Biden says:

“This is on my watch again. This is my responsibility.”

Apparently Biden is less interested than Iraqis in recognizing their nationhood and desire for self-rule. Those who say Biden does a great job when he keeps his mouth shut, are right.

By: Maximilian Forte

Maximilian Forte — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:26:08 +0000

Unsurprisingly, your discussion of the transformations of the flag is much better than mine! I wish I had seen it before posting, but I am glad you gave us that link.

An international apology day — I am all for that. As far as symbolic reconciliations are concerned, it would be more important even that sovereignty day, for all of the many butcheries by all of the many butchers as you rightly point out.

By: Omar Dewachi

Omar Dewachi — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:04:36 +0000

Dear Max,
Indeed, thanks for what?
Reflecting on what sovereignty means, I cannot, but invoke Weber’s notion of “monopoly over violence”. The question of Iraq’s sovereignty today is ‘who really has monopoly over violence’ (mind you the oil control theories). Since the fall of the Ba’th regime, the explosion of forms of violence in Iraq turned the country into a multitude of deathscapes. Suicide bombs killing scores of people everyday, dead and dismembered bodies left in streets to disintegrate marking the territory of militias, mutilated corpses pulled out of the river, Interior Ministry affiliated Death Squads’ assassinations in broad daylight of individuals based on their sectarian background, the kidnapping, killing and body mutilation of bodies by organized crime and militia members, military raids, checkpoints, sky bombing, killing and torture by the American military and mercenary paramilitary contractors, are all part of the everyday necropolitics of the continuous war in Iraq. For many Iraqis, sovereignty day needs to be a day of reflection on the various forms of violence that they have undergone under Saddam’s regime, as well as the international sanctions (just to choose relatively recent moments in history) up to our present day. Since the invasion, different political parties and groups have capitalized on this violence, where each group claims itself as its ultimate victim. Within such politics of blame and revenge, it is easy for American commentators to state that Iraqis are ungrateful or turn the question of “why do they hate us” into “why do they hate each other” (as stated on the Times cover few years ago). Still there has been an absence of a single apology from any group in Iraq and outside Iraq (including the US and the international community) for their role in the destruction of the country. It is probably more appropriate to have an ‘international apology day to Iraq’, where everyone in the west, including Iraqis themselves, apologize to each other for their past and present actions. Then we can probably start thinking of lining up new national holidays (as the old ones were all disbanded). But until that day comes, we will keep seeing a race for declaring sovereignty through attempting (or maybe pretending) to monopolize violence in Iraq.

p.s. I have posted a piece previously on the Iraqi flag that I think you will enjoy:
http://cyberorient.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=27