Battling for Arab democracy

Lebanese opposition strives to keep itself in line, Iraqis struggle to form cabinet

WASHINGTON DC - Compiled by Alternative Staff

April 2005

On the way to democracy, Lebanon and Iraq buckled up for new rounds of political action. In the Lebanese case, the country is forming a pre-election government. Iraqis, however, are forming a post-election one.

In countries of the Arab world, Palestinian President Abu Mazen’s snail-pace measures seem promising, but the Palestinians are not there yet.

On top of Abu Mazen’s priority list is the unification of all security apparatuses under the command of the Palestinian civil authority. Abbas is doing so, though, through patient negotiations and the paying off of fighters.

In Lebanon the Syrian rule looks nearing its end as Syria completes its withdrawal from Lebanon. Syrian allies started giving up on their pro-Syrian rhetoric and shifting to the opposition side especially as the nation’s parliamentary elections draws near.

Opposition leader, Walid Jumblatt, has felt for his part – however – that a major pre-elections re-alignment was on the way on the sides of both the loyalists and the opposition. This made Jumblatt deliver statements that aimed at reminding the fluctuating opposition factions that they would be on top of the list when reform would be pursued in the country.

Jumblatt also took several measures aimed at reinforcing the opposition’s rank and file during the countdown to elections. For this purpose, Jumblatt met with the other opposition pole, exiled former Army Commander Michel Aoun for the first time in 20 years during Jumblatt’s visit of Paris.

Aoun’s spokesperson described the meeting as having been excellent while Jumblatt said that the two men drew general guidelines for their cooperation after Aoun’s return to Lebanon scheduled for May 7.

In Iraq, democracy proved to be easier said than done. With the elected parliamentary blocs unable to elect first a president, then a prime minister on time, the delay led to another delay in forming the Iraqi cabinet.

The formation of the government came to a halt when the bloc of the former interim premier Iyad Allawi demanded that it be given four portfolios in the government, including a “sovereignty portfolio.” The real disagreement between Allawi and the newly selected premier, Ibrahim Jaafari, is reported – however – to be about a scheduled purge of military personnel that Jaafari’s Shiite coalition deem as former Baathists.

A visit by US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to Iraq is said to have sent implicit message of the American backing of Allawi and the Kurdish blocs at the expense of what America perceives as “close-to-Iran” Shiite factions who are bent on pursuing de-Baathification, now very much seen as a Shiite anti-Sunni policy.