The US have lost Chalabi

The US treatment of Ahmed Chalabi and his changing role in the last five years is a prime example of failed US policy thinking. The man, who some thought was being lined up by the US and the CIA in particular to lead a post-Saddam Iraq, was ditched, humiliated by the electorate, and then totally deserted by his previous benefactors. The US failure to create and support secular, not sectarian, politics in Iraq is writ large in Chalabi (see note 1). He, as I reported previously, was able to stroll into Sadr City (when it was still under total Sadrist control) and spent the last weekend meeting with Ali Larijani, the new speaker of the Iranian Majlis (Parliament). He clearly is far more talented than was given credit for. He has been able to switch from a US backed politician to a national Shia politician. He's a figure who is not yet going away. If Iran can deal with him, the Sadrist either respect or tolerate him, neither the Sunnis or the Kurds detest him, and he has many Western contacts, he continues to have a large future in Iraqi politics. This future, however, is not as an American stooge. He's been mishandled, and now the US only has the hypocrite Maliki to deal with. Maliki's party is backing away from the Security Pact (more here and here). Politically the US has run out of allies in Iraq past the Barzani family. They may be useful in the KRG but not in the rest of the country. The US' political failure in Iraq appears without end. Everybody wants to talk about the military successes or failures but ultimately the political and economic stability or Iraq is of greater long term importance (note 2 below).


Note 1: The failure of non sectarian, helpful politics emerging post Saddam in a well educated country has to be laid at the door of Iraqi political leaders too. They are not without blame and have "lost" the Iraq War too.

Note 2: Of course military success and failure and linked into political and economic stability. My point is that the stress on just military success in the Western media is providing cover for the political and reconstructive failure.