US Sending Iraq $11 Billion in Arms, Despite Maliki’s Turn Towards Dictatorship
Pointing out Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki’s turn towards dictatorship is no longer a fad for opposition members of parliament and voiceless Iraqi subjects. Now it’s so blatant that it’s recognized by everyone. Even the New York Times.
The Obama administration is moving ahead with the sale of nearly $11 billion worth of arms and training for the Iraqi military despite concerns that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki is seeking to consolidate authority, create a one-party Shiite-dominated state and abandon the American-backed power-sharing government.
The military aid includes things like advanced fighter jets and battle tanks and, as best I can tell, is in addition to the $82 million in arms and equipment the U.S. sent to Baghdad in October.
It’s true that Maliki has shown signs of solidifying some level of authoritarian rule, and it isn’t particularly new. He has circumvented Parliament, consolidated illegitimate power in a long trend of quasi-dictatorial behavior, harshly cracked down on peaceful activism, harassed and even attacked journalists that were critical of his regime, and has been accused of torturing prisoners in secret Iraqi jails.
In September, Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr issued a statement accusing Maliki of “building a new dictatorship.” That same month, Iraq’s head of the Integrity Commission Raheem Uqaili resigned and wrote an open letter accusing the Maliki regime of unutterable corruption and power grabs. Just this month, Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq warned in a CNN interview that Maliki is “going towards dictatorship.” Less than a week later Maliki ordered Iraq’s Sunni Vice President Tareq al Hashemi detained on trumped up terrorism charges, in a broader plan to marginalize Sunni authorities in government. Finally, former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi co-authored article in the New York Times this week, along with fellow Iraqiya members Osama al-Nujaifi (Iraq’s parliament speaker) and Finance Minister Rafe al-Essawi, warning that Maliki is taking the nation down the path of “sectarian autocracy.”
In light of this, should we be surprised that Washington continues to send Iraq billions of dollars in aid and billions more in military weaponry? No, I don’t think so. In a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks, US envoy Ryan Crocker noted in 2009 that Maliki’s turn towards more centralized rule is “in US interest.” Even after Obama’s attempts to extend large-scale military occupation were rejected, ongoing responsibilities after the withdrawal still include carrying out “two of the largest Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programs in the world and to spend the $2.55 billion in Iraq Security Forces Fund (ISFF).”
This is literally what it means to receive U.S. economic and military support in a strategically important region. How many foul, tyrannical, genocidal dictatorships does America have to avidly prop up for people to stop being surprised about it?
MoT
December 29th, 2011 at 10:10 am
And so the military gravy train rolls ever onward. Greased with the blood of the nameless.
liberranter
December 29th, 2011 at 10:49 am
Yet another reason to anxiously await the collapse of the Imperial dollar.
David4Peace
December 29th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
Another impoverished country forced to spend all its spare resources on useless weaponry. This would be like a guy with a $20K / year job spending half a million on an armored personnel carrier to threaten his next door neighbor.
Ben C
December 29th, 2011 at 2:54 pm
I'm just glad Mr. Maliki was generous enough to 'allow' 700 US troops to remain in Iraq to train his military on the US taxpayers' dime. The Mujahedeen are currently showing their gratitude for this in Afghanistan.
Izrael Finklestein
December 29th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
what iraq needs is $11 billion in depleted uranium detoxification equipment and UN supervised clean up teams
Walter Cole
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:48 am
It really means: "US Sending Iraq $11 Billion in Arms, Because of Maliki´s Turn Towards Dictatorship"
Obama’s Weapons Welfare to Tyrannies Gets Applause « Antiwar.com Blog
January 3rd, 2012 at 10:48 am
[...] I wrote last week about the Obama administration’s $11 billion deal to send Iraq military arms and equipment, despite the descent into tyranny of the Maliki government. That same day, it was announced that the Obama administration was also sending $30 billion worth of weapons – including 84 F-15 fighter jets – to Saudi Arabia, easily one of the worst authoritarian regimes in the world. Loren Thompson, writing at Forbes.com, has caught on to this (excuse his tardiness) and has a few things to say that are revealing both because of his insight and his exemplary Beltway attitude which omits the ugly parts of Washington’s dangerous foreign policies. [...]
Obama’s Weapons Welfare to Tyrannies Gets Applause | OzHouse Alt News
January 4th, 2012 at 5:49 am
[...] I wrote last week about the Obama administration’s $11 billion deal to send Iraq military arms and equipment, despite the descent into tyranny of the Maliki government. That same day, it was announced that the Obama administration was also sending $30 billion worth of weapons – including 84 F-15 fighter jets – to Saudi Arabia, easily one of the worst authoritarian regimes in the world. Loren Thompson,writing at Forbes.com, has caught on to this (excuse his tardiness) and has a few things to say that are revealing both because of his insight and his exemplary Beltway attitude which omits the ugly parts of Washington’s dangerous foreign policies. [...]
US Approves of Maliki’s Consolidating Dictatorial Power in Iraq -- News from Antiwar.com
January 4th, 2012 at 7:46 pm
[...] can say is that the investigation against Hashemi is “fair.” American money and weapons continue to flow to the Maliki government and ambivalence towards the worsening situation on the part of U.S. officials is a sign of what [...]
Iraqi Security Forces Abduct Innocents & Extort Money From Their Families « Antiwar.com Blog
January 17th, 2012 at 8:28 am
[...] we’ve given the Iraqis: US Approves of Maliki’s Consolidating Dictatorial Power in Iraq US Sending Iraq $11 Billion in Arms, Despite Maliki’s Turn Towards Dictatorship Is this what democracy looks like? Panetta Says Iraq Debacle ‘Worth the Price’ Print This [...]
Iraqi Militia Refuses to Lay Down Arms, Despite US Withdrawal -- News from Antiwar.com
January 17th, 2012 at 5:57 pm
[...] Obama administration also recently secured the sale of nearly $11 billion worth of arms and training for the Iraqi military, despite Maliki’s troubling turn towards [...]
Iraq’s Maliki Accused of Detaining, Torturing Hundreds of Political Opponents -- News from Antiwar.com
January 19th, 2012 at 4:48 pm
[...] This has coincided with rising sectarian violence in Iraq, with dozens of deadly attacks between Sunni and Shia in the last weeks of December and throughout January. Allawi and many other prominent figures in the country have said Maliki is tearing the country apart, despite continuing to receive enthusiastic U.S. support. [...]
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April 7th, 2012 at 2:01 am
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May 18th, 2012 at 12:46 am
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Rose
July 6th, 2012 at 9:29 pm
I also didn't expect that Mr. Maliki will be so generous.
I bet its really good news for Iraqi as well as US military troops.
Rose
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Desire Mccue
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:58 am
Yeah, because we all know that Obama the Peace Laureate is going to end the wars, evacuate the military bases, bring the troops home and shrink the military down to the size necessary only for territorial defence.
Hotgirl
February 11th, 2013 at 1:21 pm
I also didn't expect that Mr. Maliki will be so generous.