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In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

08/07/08
How to Deal with Jerusalem  —Lt. Col. (Res.) Ron Shatzberg, Project Director, Economic Cooperation Foundation. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.
08/07/08
How to Deal with Jerusalem  —
08/05/08
Why Did Maliki Call for a Timeline?  —by Christopher Kojm who teaches at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and is a former senior advisor to the Iraq Study Group. Original Commentary for Middle East Bulletin.

Setting the Record Straight

Already Divided

“Even the Arab minority in the city has shown its preference for living under Israeli rule, as many have moved to the Israeli side of the security barrier being built around Jerusalem. Their choice is reasonable, as Jerusalem offers the quality of life of a modern western city while only a few kilometers away the norm is a third world standard of living, chaos and religious intolerance. An undivided Jerusalem is the best guarantee of a better life for all Jerusalemites.”
—Nathan Diament, Director of Public Policy, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, July 23, 2008 versus
  • “Those who believe that Jerusalem should not be divided, and mean by that that the Arab neighborhoods should not be separated from the city, should be the first to insist that an active policy be adopted by the government and the municipality to improve the lot of local Arab residents. Barring that, Jerusalem will continue to remain a divided city.”
    —Moshe Arens, former Israeli defense and foreign minister (Likud), “A Story of Neglect,” Haaretz, July 28, 2008

    • Middle East Analysis

    Decisionmakers in Iraq: Who’s Who

    August 20, 2007

    Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)

    Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki: Member of Dawa party, the oldest party in the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance coalition which won a majority of Parliament in 2005 elections. Helped draft Iraqi Constitution in 2005. Member of de-Baathification committee 2003-2004, charged with purging Iraqi civil service and government of supporters of Sadaam Hussein.

    President Jalal Talabani: Wealthy leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, one of two main parties controlling the Kurdish region of Iraq. A former Kurdish guerilla leader and supporter of Kurdish independence, Talabani and his one-time rival Masoud Barzani were supporters of the 2003 Iraq invasion.

    Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi: Leader of the Iraqi Islamic Party. Following the resignation of Sunni ministers from his government, Prime Minister al-Maliki attempted unsuccessfully to woo al-Hashemi into joining the August 14th crisis conference; as a result, the new governing alliance contains no Sunni ministers.

    Abdul Aziz Hakim: A powerful Shi’ite leader with ties to Iran, Hakim is the leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council and the United Iraqi Alliance, parliament’s largest bloc. Hakim was a former president of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council. SIIC is leading efforts to form an autonomous “South of Baghdad” region under a controversial 2006 law. Hakim is also known for his ties to Iran, formed during his years in exile prior to the downfall of the Hussein regime.

    Masoud Barzani: Barzani is the President of Iraqi Kurdistan, and leader of the Kurdish Democractic Party, whose rivalry with Jalal Talabani’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan resulted in bloody civil war in the mid 1990s. This intra-Kurd feud was brought to an end by the creation of the Kurdistan Regional Government and the division of power between Barzani and now-Iraqi President Talabani.

    Adnan Al-Dulaimi: Leader of the parliament’s largest Sunni bloc, the Iraqi Accordance Front, al-Dulaimi has been a critic of the al-Maliki government. On August 1st, the IAF resigned from the Iraqi ruling collation, and since then al-Dulaimi has called on other Arab countries to intervene in Iraq on behalf of the Sunnis

    Moqtada al-Sadr: From a prominent Iraqi family, Moqtada al-Sadr is the leader of a powerful Shi’ite movement that includes the militia known as the “Mahdi Army,” responsible for several attacks against coalition forces. The political wing of al-Sadr’s movement controls 32 seats in parliament, as well as the ministries of health, agriculture, and transportation.

    Iyad Allawi: The interim Prime Minister of Iraq, prior to the 2005 legislative elections. During his tenure, he created the General Security Directorate, a domestic spy agency intended to combat terrorism and supported the invasion of Najaf. Allawi created the Iraqi National List, the fourth-largest coalition in parliament, whose cabinet ministers are currently boycotting the al-Maliki government.