(Iraqi Communist Party) Official Gunned Down

[Tab]

A prominent official of the Iraqi Communist Party was gunned down with two of his bodyguards outside of Baghdad, a party official said today.

Sadoun Mohammed was returning home from the northern city of Kirkuk when armed men ambushed his car, opening fire yesterday evening, said party official Amar Abdul-Hussein.

Iraq’s Communist Party is part of the interim government of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. Culture Minister Mufeed al-Jazaeri is a party member.

Banned and persecuted under Saddam Hussein, it has been critical of Allawi’s close ties with the United States.
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3756957

I didn't even know there was such a thing as an Iraqi Communist Party

[zippy890]

1. I smell US involvement

You can be darned sure this Iraqi offical was not protected like the US Iraqi puppet leaders are.

[frylock]

11. if by u.s. involvment, you mean allawi's goon squad..

then you are probably correct.

[getoffmytrain]

2. Communism is

soooooooooo last century.

[mikehiggins]

3. soooooooooo last millenium

but it keeps on ticking

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pinerow]

6. And crony economics is sooo 21st century...

Please know what you are speaking about; lest you be thought a fool...

[getoffmytrain]

7. Would you kindly list

all the countries that have adopted communism in the last 4 years?

If it's foolish to state the fact that the glory days of communism were say..... 40 years ago.... then I guess I am a fool.

[pinerow]

8. Ok...we'll start with China...then Vietnam...Cuba...looks like Venezuela

is heading toward at least a socialist government...then there is Argentina and Brazil...shall I continue...please take the cold-war arguments to the PNAC and their ilk.

[getoffmytrain]

10. I didn't say there

aren't communist nations.... i said the days of nations adopting communism are over...

And, as I am sure you know, Vietnam and China are quickly adopting ideals of a free market. Further, you listed a number of socialist nations, not communist, and there is a significant difference.

[scarletwoman]

4. Yes, there has been an Iraqi Communist Party for a long time.

In fact, right after the invasion they were one of the most active groups in trying to restore order and provide services to the people. Everything I read about them last year seemed to me to be exemplary efforts on their part.

While they no doubt had enemies among the Baathists and the Islamists, I believe that this assassination could have just as likely been the work of U.S./Allawi-sponsored operatives.

sw

[htuttle]

5. Outside of the Baath Party,

...the Iraqi Communist Party is one of the only organized secular groups in Iraq.

They'd suffered years of oppression and harrassment from Hussein, and then as soon as we invade, we started doing the same thing (we closed down their office, jailed a bunch of them, etc...). Kind of like we did to Iraq's labor union movement as soon as we invaded.

One of their stated goals was a parliamentary democracy. But they weren't going to stand for the Neoliberal constraints that Bremer attempted to put on Iraq's economy (ie., everything must be privatized, few social services, etc...). Once again, Bush's crony's wealth is put above all else.

[scarletwoman]

12. Thank you for making an informed post.

I didn't have any links handy, but I read alot about what the Communist Party was attempting to do in the aftermath of the invasion, and all of it was laudable.

The neocons planned all along to turn Iraq into a corporate privitized wet dream; the Communists, who actually wanted to work for the collective welfare of the Iraqi people never had a chance.

This Iraq adventure is such an atrocity on so many levels...

sw