Former PM (Allawi) blames U.S. for foisting democracy on Iraq

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Despite repeated warnings, U.S. officials blindly foisted a Western-style democracy on Iraq, helping plunge it into sectarian bloodshed and a political morass, a former U.S.-installed prime minister said on Monday.

"I told President Bush many times. I said we should not photocopy the model of the United States" in Iraq, Iyad Allawi, selected interim prime minister in 2004 by a council hand-picked by U.S. officials, said in an interview with Reuters.

...

"The decision to invade Iraq was a good decision, but unfortunately there have been grave mistakes that have been committed in parallel to liberation," he said, including the fateful U.S. decision in 2003 to purge government of members of Saddam's banned Baath party.
...

But Allawi blamed Maliki, from the religious Shi'ite Dawa party, for perpetuating divisions among Iraqis -- for example failing to enact measures passed by parliament that aim to bring ousted Baath party members back into government.

"Sectarianism still is the order of the day. You can't get a position in the government, even a junior position," without meeting sectarian criteria, he said.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/gc05/idUKTRE5043AR20090105

[High Plains]

1. Is he saying Iraq needs a Saddam-like strong man?

They used to have one of those. What was his name? Oh, yeah, Saddam Hussein.

[sabra]

2. "Iyad Allawi" also comes to mind...

[stillcool]

3. I think the 'Democracy' the U.S.

foists on other countries tends to have the same results. Bloodshed.