There was an important story in yesterday’s New York Times about the apparent success of the Iraqi army’s operation in Sadr City. Here’s how it opens:
“Iraqi forces rolled unopposed through the huge Shiite enclave of Sadr City on Tuesday, a dramatic turnaround from the bitter fighting that has plagued the Baghdad neighborhood for two months, and a qualified success for Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.
As it did in the southern city of Basra last month, the Iraqi government advanced its goal of establishing sovereignty and curtailing the powers of the militias.”
It is hard to overstate the importance of these developments. For ages many in Washington and London despaired of the Maliki government ever acting to curb the power of the Shi’ite militias. But now the Iraqi government has taken action against their two most significant strongholds. Hopefully, this is a sign that Maliki is moving from being a sectarian leader to a national one.
Combine this development with the Sunni rejection of al Qaeda in Iraq and a level of optimism about the future of Iraq seems justified. However, these gains are all fragile. Premature withdrawal, as supported by Barack Obama and strongly opposed by John McCain, could throw Iraq back into chaos.
Later on Coffee House, Fraser Nelson will report from on the ground in Basra. I’ve just been talking to him and what he described was fascinating so do check back later.
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