dagblog - Comments for "Iran Achieving its Goals in Iraq? Recent News/Wiki Documents Support that View"

Iran has many divisions

moat — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 02:23:32 +0000

In reply to Iran Achieving its Goals in Iraq? Recent News/Wiki Documents Support that View

Iran has many divisions amongst its clerics and political organization. Some align with Muqtada's gang, others align themselves with Badr. Others don't like either. If one accepts that Iraq and Iran are especially intertwined in their politics, then the divisions are an important part of what really can be called "Iran's influence".

I see that the "Mahdi Army" has made a come back. Some parties in Iran must be glad. Others, less so. After reading a lot material on the subject, it is hard for me to say who is manipulating who.

That cable, from April 2009,

NCD — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:18:51 +0000

In reply to Here's another cable on

That cable, from April 2009, reinforces the cables from Dec. 2009, it says the GOI (gov't of Iraq) is 'resisting' Iranian influence, and that US forces have said they will target Iranian agents UNTIL JAN. 1ST 2010 WHEN US FORCES CANNOT DO SO without approval and participation of Iraqi security, which is now, as of November (LA Times link above) controlled by Moqtada al Sadr commanders.

The LA Times report that the Mahdi Army, in taking over GOI security positions in the government, was releasing Mahdi prisoners en masse in recent weeks indicates Iran is gaining not only influence, but more death squad fighters to remove any opposition to them in Iraq.

Here's another cable on

artappraiser — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:02:57 +0000

In reply to Iran Achieving its Goals in Iraq? Recent News/Wiki Documents Support that View

Here's another cable on topic:

US embassy cables: US tries to counter Iranian influence in Iraq
Friday, 24 April 2009, 16:18

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/204071

Crown Prince Mohammed bin

artappraiser — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 06:29:45 +0000

In reply to Ironically, the Wikileaks

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi believes Iran has its "mother of all emirates" in Southern Iraq:

http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/we-decry-what-has-happened-these-revelat...

Our Allies are shunning us

chucktrotter — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 05:20:11 +0000

In reply to Ironically, the Wikileaks

Our Allies are shunning us and the "Axis" -- plus others with money in the game are using us. Our expectations for instant gratification are self-defeating. Other countries are prepared to wait decades for results that we demand in a year!

Ironically, the Wikileaks

artappraiser — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 04:54:43 +0000

In reply to Iran Achieving its Goals in Iraq? Recent News/Wiki Documents Support that View

Ironically, the Wikileaks dump seems to making the "axis of evil" come true:

Iran Fortifies Its Arsenal With the Aid of North Korea

And while there was not much love lost between Sunni and Shia before across the region before, it's hard not to think that wikileaks revelations of the distrust and even hatred many Arab leaders seem to have for the Persians is going to make a lot of Shia more defensive and aid figures like Sadr and Ahmadinejad in "us vs. them" populism.

You already have this scenario:

March 18, 2010
...NPR correspondent Deborah Amos is the author of a new book on the topic, “Eclipse of the Sunnis: Power, Exile and Upheaval in the Middle East.”

“Baghdad has become a predominantly Shiite town,” says Amos, “and if you look at who now are in the power positions now it is men from the Shiite communities.” She adds that the Sunnis, who were the lawyers, the architects and teachers, felt left out.
The author says many of them left because they were threatened during the worst of the violent years in Iraq. Many of the Sunnis now live across the borders in Amman, Jordan and Damascus, Syria
The author says many of them left because they were threatened during the worst of the violent years in Iraq. Many of the Sunnis now live across the borders in Amman, Jordan and Damascus, Syria....

Wondering what's in there regarding the Kurds and Turkey....

It's like I used to say on Rosenberg threads at TPMCafe: it's not always all about Israel. There's other countries and other age old conflicts there. And then you've got nutsy North Korea always interested in playing with anyone who might have them.

Over 7 years after Bush

NCD — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 04:12:19 +0000

In reply to Iran Achieving its Goals in Iraq? Recent News/Wiki Documents Support that View

Over 7 years after Bush started this unnecessary war, with death squads and militias taking orders from Iran roaming Iraq, and killing at will with approval from the guy Bush put in charge, Maliki, it appears there is no doubt the multi-trillion dollar bloodbath that the recent Republican administration lied the country into in Iraq, has been a huge win for Iran and a huge fiasco for the United States.

The US removal of Saddam, the fracturing of Iraq along religious lines, and the handing over of the country to a clique of Iranian backed Shites has destabilized the region and vastly complicated our policy at a critical time as Iran develops nuclear weapons and the missiles to deliver them.

(No subject)

chucktrotter — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 03:52:01 +0000

In reply to Iran Achieving its Goals in Iraq? Recent News/Wiki Documents Support that View

Moqtada al Sadr and "Every"

chucktrotter — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 03:44:37 +0000

In reply to Iran Achieving its Goals in Iraq? Recent News/Wiki Documents Support that View

Moqtada al Sadr and "Every" country involved directly or indirectly in this quagmire has been using the U.S. as a bully-boy and\or a bankroller. I wonder if the kids we've had killed and maimed know how many dollars Wall Street sacrificed to assure our demise!

Isn't this part of what Bu$h

Beetlejuice — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 02:50:11 +0000

In reply to Iran Achieving its Goals in Iraq? Recent News/Wiki Documents Support that View

Isn't this part of what Bu$h always promoted as winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people and Cheney stating we would be greeted as liberators?

It would be interesting to hear what those dispatches say regarding the internal strife in country compared with the rhetoric of the Bu$h years. Unfortunately, there will be one side using them to promote Bu$h and GOPer political values and aims all while the exact opposite side will make Stephan King novels seem tame.

The US public is too polarized to see thru the fog of war and deception so they will not trust any source that challenges their firm belief systems of what they think is right and wrong. They will only seek out info that confirms their beliefs and disregard anything counter. To do otherwise would mean they would demand Congress to conduct an investigation and hang the perpetrators from gallows along the Mall.

Ain't gonna happen.