Commentary
Four Middle East experts analyze the region’s reactions and next steps.
- +1
Amr Hamzawy, Andrew Leber, Eric Lob, …
{
"authors": [],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "MEP",
"programs": [
"Middle East"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"Middle East",
"Iraq",
"Gulf"
],
"topics": [
"Political Reform"
]
}
Source: Getty
In The Media
De-Baathification Decision Postponed Until After Election Results
While an ad hoc committee has lifted the ban barring candidates suspected of ties to Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party from participating in the Iraqi elections, it did not dismiss the charges against those candidates and is widely seen as the result of internal and external political pressures.
Published on Feb 4, 2010
Source: Analysis of the 2010 Iraqi Parliamentary Elections
On February 3, the ad hoc committee set up by the Iraqi parliament lifted the ban on the candidates previously barred from participating in the elections because they were suspected of ties to Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party. Still unconfirmed reports indicate that the committee was composed of four Shia Islamists, two Kurds, and a single Sunni Islamist, with no representation for the secular nationalists who were hit hardest by the ban. The committee did not dismiss the charges against the candidates, instead ruling that they be allowed to run in the elections. If successful, however, such candidates will not automatically take their seats in parliament. Instead, each case will be re-examined—it is unclear by whom—to determined whether that person’s ties to the Baath Party warrant exclusion from political life. The February 3 decision thus removes an obstacle to the elections in the short run—some parties were threatening to call for a boycott of the vote—but could create an even more dangerous crisis later if candidates chosen by the voters are disqualified from serving .
The lifting of the ban is the result of internal and external political pressures. President Jalal Talabani raised questions about the legality of the Justice and Accountability Commission, which originally banned the candidates; U.S. Vice President Joe Biden flew to Baghdad to urge a compromise that would allow the elections to proceed as scheduled. The decision has already been greeted by a chorus of protest in Baghdad, with many accusing the United States of interference and even calling into question the legality of the reversal. There is no doubt that political rather than legal considerations played the key role in the decision to lift the bans.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- The Myriad Problems With the Iran Ceasefire
- The Iran War’s Global ReachCollection
As the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran continues, Carnegie scholars contribute cutting-edge analysis on the events of the war and their wide-reaching implications. From the impact on Iran and its immediate neighbors to the responses from Gulf states to fuel and fertilizer shortages caused by the effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, the war is reshaping Middle East alliances and creating shockwaves around the world. Carnegie experts analyze it all.
- Amid Iran War, Gulf Countries Slow the Pace of ReformsArticle
The return of war as the organizing factor in Middle Eastern politics has predictable consequences: governments are prioritizing regime stability and becoming averse to political and social reform.
Sarah Yerkes, Amr Hamzawy
- “It’s Not Like Turning a Switch On and Off”Commentary
Why the Iran ceasefire isn’t a quick fix to the Strait of Hormuz energy crisis.
Helima Croft, Aaron David Miller
- The United States and Iran Have Agreed to a Two-Week CeasefireCommentary
Spot analysis from Carnegie scholars on events relating to the Middle East and North Africa.
Michael Young
