Wherever you go in the world, people always blame most those with whom they most closely identify, and of whom they have the greatest expectations. This is human nature and an essential part of a working political system: complaints are leveled at those who are most directly accountable to the complainants, even if they are not the most responsible for the detrimental circumstances.
For example, U.S. political controversy about how to deal with Al-Qaeda involves almost no debate of the nature of the root cause – the organization itself – but plenty of debate on the actions of the Democrats, Republicans, President etc. in their attempts to deal with the problem.
Similarly, some of the Iraqi press is doing a decent job of being the fourth estate in a country that is struggling to establish the first three, is rightly determined to hold Iraqi representatives accountable more than they are determined to criticize the Americans who are most directly responsible for the current state of affairs in their country.
Read an example in this article from Sotal Iraq, Americans Act without Iraqis, translated on Watching America
In this piece, the complaint is against American unilateralism in Iraq. But the demands and scorn are saved for al-Maliki.
Robin Koerner is a British-born citizen of the USA, who currently serves as Academic Dean of the John Locke Institute. He holds graduate degrees in both Physics and the Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge (U.K.). He is also the founder of WatchingAmerica.com, an organization of over 100 volunteers that translates and posts in English views about the USA from all over the world.
Robin may be best known for having coined the term “Blue Republican” to refer to liberals and independents who joined the GOP to support Ron Paul’s bid for the presidency in 2012 (and, in so doing, launching the largest coalition that existed for that candidate).
Robin’s current work as a trainer and a consultant, and his book If You Can Keep It , focus on overcoming distrust and bridging ideological division to improve politics and lives. His current project, Humilitarian, promotes humility and civility as a basis for improved political discourse and outcomes.