[noodles]

Senate vote to regionalize Iraq spurs confusion, criticism - CNN.com

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad disavowed a Senate resolution calling for dividing Iraq into federal regions, a move Iraqi leaders condemned Sunday as a violation of Iraq's sovereignty.

"As we have said in the past, attempts to partition or divide Iraq by intimidation, force or other means into three separate states would produce extraordinary suffering and bloodshed," the embassy said in a written statement. "The United States has made clear our strong opposition to such attempts."

"Partition is not on the table," the embassy statement read.

The resolution, which the Senate approved Thursday on a 75-23 vote, called for Washington to support "a political settlement among Iraq's major factions based upon the provisions of the Constitution of Iraq that create a federal system of government and allow for the creation of federal regions."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the US ambassador to Iraq doesn't have the right to go counter to the policies set forth by the Senate. So, take your Bush party line and shove it right up your ass.

[bostjan]

The problem with this is that two of the three ethnic groups are living in the same regions, so you'd have to get people to leave their homes. If they were willing to do that in the first place, the conflict probably would have ended by now.

I'm not sure what power the ambassador has, but I believe it's purely diplomatic.

If Iraq is to be divided, what will they call the three new countries? Babylon, Mesopotamia, and Kurdistan?

[jim777]

It means nothing, nothing at all. The Senate has voted to support a proposition to another country. Great way to spend their time! Maybe next week they can support a proposition that makes Iraq's favorite color yellow, or something else equally important.

[lordofthesewers]

federalization of iraq is such a shitty idea on a bigger scale, it will only cause more scandal in the middle east.
The turks already have ethnic troubles with the kurds, and a federated iraq with a kurdish region at the border with turkey will encourage kurdish terrorism agains the turks.
Then Iran is gonnna have so much more control over the Shi'a region, and the sunnies are gonna go with a sunny nation (I would think maybe lebanon?? not sure here).
Federalization is a shit idea. The good idea would be to diminish the power of the iraqi goverment, and give patreus more control in iraq's internal affairs.

[oompa]

i agree its only a proposition from the US side, but its probably not taken the way it is meant. i can imagine them being abit more sensitive to intentions or w.e. and see it as "a threat to Iraq sovereignty and unity", even tho its just another not-so-thought-through idea, nothing more.

[jim777]

Originally Posted by jim777

It means nothing, nothing at all. The Senate has voted to support a proposition to another country. Great way to spend their time! Maybe next week they can support a proposition that makes Iraq's favorite color yellow, or something else equally important.

Not like we didn't see this coming. Don't these people have any real fucking work to do? Aren't there naked people to feed and hungry people to clothe? Genocide or not, it was nearly 100 years ago and TODAY we need Turkey to be cool (with Iraq in constant flux) and we're poking them with the genocide stick! There's a time and a place for everything, and this is just not the time.

[The Dark Wolf]

Hello. Federalization, which the Iraqis APPROVED, doesn't mean the country is necessarily divided up into autonomous regions, like brand new countries.

The US is federalized, for crying out loud!


It just means the country, which would still have a central, federal government, would have semi-autonomous states. Guess what? The idea seems to work, seeing as we have 50 of 'em.

[jim777]

We're on to Turkey now

[The Dark Wolf]

Fuck Iraq. I always thought we should reclaim Constantinople. It was the West's first, anyway.

[noodles]

Originally Posted by jim777

We're on to Turkey now

No, Jim, we're not. Quit hijacking my thread and go start a new thread about Turkey.