Le Premier ministre irakien à Washington veut des armes, ce n’est sans doute pas la meilleure attitude pour améliorer ses relations avec les minorités sunnites et kurdes du pays.
Apache helicopters will not solve Maliki’s problems - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page
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When U.S. President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki sit in the Oval Office tomorrow, there will be a lot of topics of discussion to catch up on: a spike in attacks by 124 percent this year, Maliki’s failure at inclusive governance, and al-Qaeda’s speedy return to Iraq. There will also be a more positive conversation on Iraq’s increased oil production and military aid.
For Baghdad’s strongman, his urgent visit is to request more military equipment from Washington, mainly Apache helicopters, finalizing F-16 fighter jet contracts, and possibly acquiring drones, as one of his aides told Reuters. It is no surprise that the security agenda is the top priority for his visit. Since Maliki came to the U.S., the last time being December 2011, Iraq has witnessed its highest level of violence, with an average death toll of 700 a month. Just this week, ahead of his visit, more than 120 Iraqis were killed by al-Qaeda suicide bombings targeting civilians in cafes and markets.
Obama’s dilemma
For Washington, the al-Qaeda resurgence in Iraq is a serious concern and while the Iraqi government sees it mostly as a security challenge, the Obama administration favors tackling the problem “asymmetrically” through a broad strategy. Washington would like to see Maliki doing more to heal the country’s sectarian divide and to make more inroads with its Sunni and Kurdish minorities. Since assuming power in 2006, Maliki, who is extremely fearful to the point of paranoia over the possibility of a Baathist coup, has attempted to solidify his loyalists’ grip on the army. He also slapped the highest-ranking Sunni politician in the country, former Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi with a death sentence, forcing him into exile.
After Obama’s historic phone call to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rowhani on October 2nd, Maliki is no longer a unique asset in reaching out to Tehran.
Joyce Karam
Obama carries a big stick on this visit. Knowing Maliki’s security vulnerability, the U.S. should link any military assistance or intelligence sharing to the Iraqi premier making political progress with his opponents. Integrating Iraqi Sunnis in a political process, working on a new electoral law that offers better representation, reaching an agreement on oil revenues and appeasing tribes in the country’s western region would certainly go a long way in addressing the country’s divisions and isolating al-Qaeda.