OBAMA STANDS NEXT TO A CAR LABELED ‘IRAQ’
POINTING TO THE CAR, THE IRAQI MAN SAYS TO OBAMA:
‘THAT IS WHAT YOUR PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION DID. WE’VE BEEN SUFFERING FOR FIVE YEARS. CAN YOU FIX IT?!’
[Sotal Iraq, Iraq]
Continuing our journalistic journey around the world, below is an op-ed article from Iraq’s Kitabat newspaper on the likely ramifications for Iraq of Senator Obama’s election victory. Some surprising conclusions of the author, Akil Al Azrak, are that Iranian influence will wane when U.S. forces leave, that Iraq’s government – nervous about losing its American safety net – is likely to sign the Status of Forces Agreement within days – and that Iraqis should take advantage of Obama’s election to unify the country.
In regard to Iraq, Akil Al Azrak writes in part:
“Among the changes that are casting a shadow on the Iraqi arena, there are many positive signs. If Iraq’s political can take advantage of these circumstances by organizing a united Iraqi national movement aimed at ending the occupation, rejecting sectarian quotas, this could form the basis for translating the intentions of the new American administration into acts that would be in the interest of our nation and its people and once and for all, bring an end to the Iraqi crisis.”
By Akil Al Azrak
Translated By Nicolas Dagher
November 5, 2008
Kitabat – Iraq – Original Article (Arabic)
The two most influential players on the Iraqi scene are the United States and Iran. Regarding Iran, all evidence on the ground indicates that this party has benefited greatly from the execution of President Bush’s Iraq policy and the administration of the Green-Zone government. This has led to a situation in which Iran is the big winner whether the new administration is Republican or Democratic, whether U.S. forces withdraw or not, or whether the Security Agreement is signed or not.
With considering how the change in the U.S. after the election victory of Democratic candidate Barack Obama might affect Iraqi, we should remember that the United States is a country of institutions, and the institution of the Presidency only possesses 20 percent of the government’s decision-making power. So policy doesn’t necessarily change when a new president is elected. But that doesn’t imply an absence of change in foreign policy and a new direction in dealing with the problem of Iraq. American history is the best proof of such transformations in foreign policy, as occurred under previous presidents Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.
READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, along with continuing translated and English-language foreign press coverage of the U.S. election aftermath.
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