Another sensible take on Iraqi federalism

ARTICLE: Federalism, Not Partition: A System Devolving Power to the Regions Is the Route to a Viable Iraq, By Mowaffak al-Rubaie, January 18, 2008; Page A19

Another sensible explanation of why Iraq must be politically remapped as a federal state. Let the Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiia each build their own security (new COIN of the realm) and thereby attract and sustain their own economic connectivity (usual coin).

This is why Steve DeAngelis and I consider Development-in-a-Box‚Ñ¢ a strategic weapon in a war on terror.

Connectivity demands code.

Comments

[Hugh]

Nice to hear from an Iraqi that has a vision for his own country, that may prove sustainable.

[Bill C.]

While obviously a very imperfect (and possibly improper and impossible comparison), I found myself looking at the difficulties facing the world as a whole through this analysis of Iraq.

Looking especially at paragraph three of the article, I substituted:

a. The BRIC -- for the Shiites -- who, as the majority, are moving up in the world,

b. The Core -- for the Sunni Arabs -- who are concerned with loss of power, fear of revenge for past wrongs and concern for the potential for reverse discrimination, and

c. The Gap -- for the Kurds -- who see their future bound to their "rights" of linguistic, cultural, financial and resource control.

[Michael]

Why 5 regions, though? The Kurdish interests in Kirkuk aside, why not just grant those federal powers to the existing 17 provinces? From what I've heard, at least some of those provincial governments are already learning how to take care of their own business better than the central government. Each of the three major groups would have at least one province it dominated, with the Shiites having multiple provinces (handy, since the Shiites themselves are divided politically). These groups could then start taking care of business for themselves while the Coalition and Central Government concentrates on the ethnically diverse provinces where no-one dominates. If handled correctly, you would wind up with a system where it would be difficult to control enough provinces to rule Iraq unaccountably.

[SR]

As reluctant as many are to admit it, any possible integrative solution to Iraqi governance would not have been possible without the removal of the Hussein dictatorship by the Leviathan, messy though it has been.