Political Stalemate in Iraq

In his recent trip to Baghdad, Vice-President Joe Biden urged Iraq’s political leaders to get on with the business of governing as the post-election deadlock has prevented elected officials to form a new government. Biden’s message is urgent particularly because U.S. combat operations are winding down and a significant number of U.S. troops are set to leave Iraq soon. Biden recommended that all sectarian groups play a meaningful role in the formation of the new government, although Ayad Allawi, one of the contenders for the prime ministership, said that Biden did not really offer specific proposals on how to break the stalemate. His answer was, “well, it’s up to the Iraqis.”

Well, it seems it’s not up to the Iraqis. They couldn’t do it. If they could, we would not be witnessing such political wrangling and blatant display of power-grab among elected officials. Perhaps no one is giving in because to do so would be tantamount to political suicide. Perhaps they are afraid of each other. Perhaps Iraqi institutions are not strong enough to overcome Iraqi factions’ fractious self-interestedness.

And perhaps the solution lies outside, far from Iraq’s toxic political climate. Why not form a 10-man international commission of decent and thoughtful human beings (whether they be former leaders of nations or technocrats or academics or businessmen, or all of the above, combining from within themselves knowledge and practice, philosophy and politics, vision and strategies) to act as a caretaker government for one year to lay down the fundamentals of a functioning, free, and prospering Iraq with complete objectivity, professionalism, a sense of justice, and a genuine disinterestedness for the well-being of all Iraqis? I’m sure reasonable and fair Iraqi officials will not find the idea too far-fetched.