Ayad Allawi, the former Iraqi prime minister, in an important article in Washington Post, announced: It is past time for change at the top of the Iraqi government. Let me be clear. Responsibility for the current mess in Iraq rests primarily with the Iraqi government.
Each month 2,000 to 3,000 Iraqi civilians are killed by terrorists and sectarian death squads.
Allawi remarked: A state has no legitimacy if it cannot provide security. Iraq needs to be more assertive in telling Iran to end its interference in Iraqi
Allawi wrote: Electricity and water are available, at best, for only five to six hours a day. Baghdad, once evidence of Iraq’s cultural, ethnic and religious diversity, is now a city of armed sectarian enclaves — much like Beirut of the 1980s.
It is up to Iraqis to end the violence and bring stability, security and democracy to our country. I am working with my colleagues in parliament to build a nonsectarian majority coalition that will support the following six-point plan for a “new era” in Iraq and replace through democratic means the current Iraqi government.
Iraq must be a full partner with the United States in the development of a security plan that leads to the withdrawal of the majority of U.S. forces over the next two years, and that, before then, gradually and substantially reduces the U.S. combat role.
I propose declaring a state of emergency for Baghdad and all conflict areas. Iraq’s security forces need to be reconstituted.
A state has no legitimacy if it cannot provide security.
Prime Minister Maliki has squandered Iraq’s credibility in Arab politics, and he cannot restore it. In addition, Iraq needs to be more assertive in telling Iran to end its interference in Iraqi affairs.
Religion should be a unifying — not divisive — force in my country. Iraqis, both Sunni and Shiite, should take pride in their Islamic identity. But when religious sectarianism dominates politics, terrorists and extremists emerge as the sole winners.
National reconciliation requires an urgent commitment to moderation and ending sectarian violence by integrating all Iraqis into the political process. We should recognize the contribution of the Kurds and the Kurdistan Regional Government to Iraq’s democratic future. Reconciliation requires the active engagement of prominent Iraqi Shiite and Sunni political and religious leaders. Maliki has stalled the passage of legislation, proposed in March, to reverse de-Baathification.
The Iraqi economy has been handicapped by corruption and inadequate security. We must emphasize restoration of the most basic infrastructure. There can be no sustainable economic development and growth without reliable electricity, running and potable water, and basic health care. Over time, Iraq needs to build a free-market economy with a prominent role for the private sector.
It is past time for change at the top of the Iraqi government. Without that, no American military strategy or orderly withdrawal will succeed, and Iraq and the region will be left in chaos.