By Tariq Abdell, Iraq’s political risk analyst, and Founder & CEO of Mesopotamia Insight.
In light of ongoing socio-political changes in MENA region, Iraq’s massive protests, from Zakho to al-Faw, accentuate the political astuteness and the frustration of the Iraqi people with their elected officials.
Disenfranchised Shiites, Sunnis, Kurdish, Arabs, and Christians are all demanding the same: an end to ethno-sectarian quota-sharing system, corruption, and, most importantly, universal access to basic services such as potable water, electricity, housing, education, healthcare, and jobs.
Given the legitimacy and urgency of the protestors’ demands, the government nebulous responses (halving of some officials’ salaries, 100-day ultimatum to incumbent ministers, boosting food ration with extra cash, etc…) are mere cosmetic measures to allay people’s frustration and anger. Unarguably, the cumulative effects, hitherto, of the elected officials’ ineptitude and schism are protracting decades of erroneous policies and, subsequently, the people’s tribulations. Impelling the majority of the Iraqi people to question the legitimacy of their government and the effectiveness of its institutions, a dangerous threshold that could hastily throw the country back into its darkest years of sectarian violence and lawlessness.
Read More: http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/2011/03/22/iraq-and-the-new-geopolitical-calculus-4/
In light of ongoing socio-political changes in MENA region, Iraq’s massive protests, from Zakho to al-Faw, accentuate the political astuteness and the frustration of the Iraqi people with their elected officials.
Disenfranchised Shiites, Sunnis, Kurdish, Arabs, and Christians are all demanding the same: an end to ethno-sectarian quota-sharing system, corruption, and, most importantly, universal access to basic services such as potable water, electricity, housing, education, healthcare, and jobs.
Given the legitimacy and urgency of the protestors’ demands, the government nebulous responses (halving of some officials’ salaries, 100-day ultimatum to incumbent ministers, boosting food ration with extra cash, etc…) are mere cosmetic measures to allay people’s frustration and anger. Unarguably, the cumulative effects, hitherto, of the elected officials’ ineptitude and schism are protracting decades of erroneous policies and, subsequently, the people’s tribulations. Impelling the majority of the Iraqi people to question the legitimacy of their government and the effectiveness of its institutions, a dangerous threshold that could hastily throw the country back into its darkest years of sectarian violence and lawlessness.
Read More: http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/2011/03/22/iraq-and-the-new-geopolitical-calculus-4/
No comments:
Post a Comment