A10 The World
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SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2010 In Iraq, a precarious time plagued by ‘what ifs’
As U.S. troops depart, country faces instability and political impasse
by Leila Fadel
baghdad — As the last U.S. combat brigade pulled out of Iraq amid fanfare last week, Iraq- is remained embroiled in a battle for stability. “The Americans are leaving, and they didn’t solve the prob- lems,” said Falah al-Naqib, a Sun- ni legislator from the secular Iraqiya bloc. “So far they’ve failed and left Iraq to other coun- tries.”
About 52,000 U.S. troops re- main in Iraq, down from more than 165,000 at the height of the surge. By Sept. 1, that number will have dropped to 50,000, serving mainly in a mentoring role. But the drawdown, which took place gradually over the past year, comes at a precarious time for the country. More than five months after inconclusive elections on March 7, a political deadlock has stalled formation of a new government. Assassina- tions are on the rise, attacks are still taking place daily, and pub- lic anger is boiling over in the summer heat. “In Washington, I told them, ‘It would be embarrassing if you left and there’s no government in place,’ ” said Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. “The U.S. will still have a substantial force here, but it needs to use it to produce results. . . . The Iraqi leaders are at an impasse, and we need help from our American friends.” Now, every question begins with “what if?” What if the politi- cal vacuum unravels hard- earned security gains? What if, as U.S. influence wanes, neighbor- ing countries fill the space left behind? What if a new govern- ment in this fledgling democracy never forms? “It’s a terrible time,” said Joost
Hiltermann, an Iraq expert with the International Crisis Group. “We always argued that the coin- cidence of a political and security vacuum would present a danger- ous situation, and that’s where we are now. If violence continues
Iraq war deaths
Total number of U.S. military deaths since 2003 and names of the U.S. troops killed recently in the Iraq war, as announced by the Pentagon:
4,419 Fatalities
hostile actions:
In
hostile actions:
3,490 928
Tallies may be incomplete because of lags in reporting.
K 1st Lt. Michael L. Runyan, 24, of Newark, Ohio; 52nd Infantry, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Died July 21 in Balad of wounds suffered in Muqdadiyah.
K Spec. Faith R. Hinkley, 23, of Colorado Springs; 502nd Military Intelligence Battalion, 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Died Aug. 7 in Baghdad of wounds suffered in Iskandariyah.
YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE VIA GETTY IMAGES Spec. Karpinski Jacob, who left Iraq with the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, speaks with his family from Kuwait. “I’m worried, not just for myself,
but for my country and my people.” — Ihab Abdul Rahman, a computer engineer in Baghdad
and insurgents get a foot in the door, what are the Americans go- ing to do, with the limited re- sources they have?” Sept. 1 marks the start of a
change of mission, in which the remaining six U.S. combat troop brigades have been repurposed as “advise and assist” brigades. Along with about 4,500 Special Operations forces, they will mainly focus on training Iraqi se- curity forces. The timing was supposed to coincide with Iraq’s original January election date.
But the elections were delayed until March, and as the draw- down deadline looms, politicians are still haggling over top jobs in the new government. Meanwhile, the U.S. mission and military command are pro- ceeding with their transition. The top U.S. military command- er in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, will give up his post in two weeks. Last week, a new U.S. ambassa- dor arrived and immediately got to work, stepping off the plane in Baghdad and presenting his cre-
dentials to Zebari and President Jalal Talabani. James F. Jeffrey, a former ambassador to Turkey and former deputy chief of mis- sion and charge d’affaires in Baghdad, was welcomed as an improvement over his predeces- sor, Christopher R. Hill, a 33-year career diplomat who was crit- icized by some Iraqi politicians for his lack of experience in the region.
“I told him, ‘We have been
plotting to get you down to busi- ness right away. The country is wonderful, your troops are leav- ing, but there is a small little problem: government forma- tion,’” Zebari recalled joking with Jeffrey. Many Iraqis are questioning why they went to the polls, as
services grow worse, violence continues and politicians negoti- ate at a snail’s pace. On Friday, the Islamic State of
Iraq, an al-Qaeda front organiza- tion, asserted responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed more than 50 Iraqi army applicants earlier in the week, according to the Site Intelligence Group, which monitors insurgent Web sites. “The situation is intolerable and unacceptable,” Zebari said. “It’s frustrating for the voters and the public. . . . That willing- ness to compromise is in short supply here, as patience is in short supply in Washington.” In central Baghdad, Ihab Ab- dul Rahman, a 29-year-old com- puter engineer, said he doesn’t
K Spc. Jamal M. Rhett, 24, of Palmyra, N.J.; 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Killed Aug. 15 in Baqubah.
All troops were killed in action unless otherwise indicated.
Total fatalities include 13 civilian employees of the Defense Department.
A full list of casualties is available online at
washingtonpost.com/nation.
SOURCE: DEFENSE DEPARTMENT’S WWW.DEFENSELINK.MIL/NEWS
THE WASHINGTON POST
want the Americans to stay forev- er. But right now, as U.S. troops dwindle, the future is frighten- ingly unclear. “It’s bad,” he said. “I’m worried, not just for myself, but for my country and my people.”
fadell@washpost.com
Special correspondent Jinan Hussein contributed to this report.
non- In
WILLIAM WEST/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE VIA GETTY IMAGES
A Labor Party supporter watches the election results as she waits for Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s speech at an election night gathering in Melbourne.
Australia vote too close to call, Gillard says
To form government, winner may have to rely on independents
by Rod McGuirk
canberra, australia — It could take more than a week to learn who will govern Australia after a cliffhanger election — the country’s closest in nearly 50 years — and the winner may have to woo the support of a handful of independent lawmakers to as- sume power. Prime Minister Julia Gillard
took office in an internal Labor Party coup just two months ago. She said Saturday that she will re- main the nation’s caretaker lead- er during the “anxious days ahead” as vote-counting contin- ues. The Australian Electoral Com- mission Web site said early Sun- day that center-left Labor and the conservative Liberal Party-led coalition each had 71 seats, mean- ing neither could achieve the 76- seat majority. “Obviously, this is too close to
call,” Gillard told the party faith- ful who gathered Saturday in her home town, Melbourne, in the hope of hearing a victory speech. “We will continue to fight to form a government in this country.”
Liberal leader Tony Abbott said he would immediately begin ne- gotiations with independents to form a government. “We stand ready to govern, and we stand ready to offer the Aus- tralian people stable, predictable and competent government,” Ab- bott told supporters at Liberal campaign headquarters in Syd- ney.
Analysts said Australia’s major foreign-policy positions, includ- ing its deployment of 1,550 troops to Afghanistan, would be un- affected by whichever party wins, because both hold similar views. Domestic issues vary across the large and diverse country and in- clude hot topics such as health care and climate change. An Australian government has not relied on the support of inde- pendent lawmakers to rule since 1942, but it could happen again. The ranks of the independents in the 150-seat lower house rose from two in the last election to three, possibly four. Two independents, Rob Oa-
keshott and Tony Windsor, said they would side with whichever party could provide the most sta- ble government. A third inde- pendent, Bob Katter, said he would support the side that pledges the best deal for his con- stituents. All three are former members of conservative parties. The election results were ex-
pected to be the closest since 1961, when a Liberal government retained power by a single seat. Norman Abjorensen, an Aus-
tralian National University politi- cal scientist, said the most likely outcome would be an unstable minority government led by Ab- bott and supported by independ- ents. He and other analysts predict-
ed the final count would give Ab- bott’s coalition 73 seats — one more than Labor. Meanwhile, the left-wing Greens party attracted a record number of voters, delivering it a rare seat in the lower house, where parties form the govern- ment. The Greens were also likely to increase their representation in the 76-seat upper house from five to nine senators, assuring them a say on contentious legislation. Gillard, a charismatic and sharp-witted 48-year-old former lawyer, came to power June 24 in an internal Labor Party coup dur- ing the first term of her predeces- sor, Kevin Rudd, and almost im- mediately called elections to con- firm her mandate. Abbott, a 52-year-old former
Catholic seminarian, barely gained the endorsement eight months ago of his Liberal Party, which has led Australia for most of the past 60 years. — Associated Press
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