The Knife's Edge
I think I've detected the pattern in Iraq. We spend months creating (or trying to create) good will: through public works, elections, and dialogue. Then, in one explosive instant, we're set back on the path to civil war.
Yahoo's account of the latest outrage can be found here.
Money quote:
In the hours after the bombing, more than 90 Sunni mosques were attacked with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, burned or taken over by Shiites, said the Iraqi Islamic Party, the country's largest Sunni political group. At least seven people, including three clerics, were killed in the attacks, which were mainly in Baghdad and predominantly Shiite provinces south of the country, the party said.
Just peachy.
Yahoo's account of the latest outrage can be found here.
Money quote:
In the hours after the bombing, more than 90 Sunni mosques were attacked with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, burned or taken over by Shiites, said the Iraqi Islamic Party, the country's largest Sunni political group. At least seven people, including three clerics, were killed in the attacks, which were mainly in Baghdad and predominantly Shiite provinces south of the country, the party said.
Just peachy.
posted by Joshua @ 4:26 PM
3 Comments:
Ugh.
I think the real pity here is that the degree to which they provide money to prop up a Hamas led PA is the degree to which the rest of the world loses the leverage it might otherwise have had to force a change in Hamas' various exremem stances. Foreign aid can sometimes be like oil in that it allows bad governments to persist despite their comeplete failure to carry out their job effectively. At least in the case of western doners, there was the possibility of making the aid contingent on a (positive)behavior change, but if anything, Iran will encourage the opposite with its funds while depriving the west of its influence over Hamas. Damn.
But the EU's money will. Looks like the EU is offering to foot the bills (literally, electric etc) to keep the PA's lights on long enough to find out what the new government's platform will be. At first I was worried at first that they had broken ranks with the rest of the international community (not counting Iran of course, undercutting efforts to put political pressure on Hamas. However, it looks like most of the money is going directly to paying bills, without going through Hamas' hands. Also, it makes sense to pay for basic needs no matter who is in power. The end goal here is to give the Palestinians a viable state and shutting off their lights an water would quickly counteract any progress made with Hamas. Better, I think, to see what the new government looks like and how responsive it is to pressure to be more reasonable. The trick will be to offer Hamas a choice: Either they can continue preaching armed conflict with Israel and thereby loose most funding and let their people down or they can adopt a more diplomatic stance, acknowledge Israel's right to exist, and focus on helping govern their own people (with international aid and support). These must be the only two options. It has to be clear that they cannot do right by their own people AND continue to preach Israel's destruction.
Of course I can already see a whole minefield of potential missteps ahead for the international community. To be successful, they will have to be able to credibly pressure Hamas with withheld funds, while not seeming to be denying ordinary Palestinians the aid they desperately need. Not an enviable task.
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