Iraq // Current

Senior Iranian Commando Arrested in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AFP)--Iraqi security forces have arrested an alleged "senior" Iranian commando from the elite Revolutionary... more

arcticspirit
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Main Street Missouri-Still A Battleground!

The citizens of this rural Missouri town express their hopes and fears for our President-Elect Barack Obama and why this state so... more

Maggiekortchmar
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Mutant Seeds For Mesopotamia

It was not just oil they went into Iraq to get. There is only one word to describe this: evil. And make no mistake about it, they... more

JanforGore
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IRAQ FOR SALE: The War Profiteers

"RIVETING, POWERFUL" "BLEW MY MIND" The story of what happens to everyday Americans when corporations go to... more

CarolynGillis
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Iraqi cabinet accepts US agreement

Sabah al-Nasseri: Strong nationalist movement has mobilized against the agreement, and they have guns. Part 3

The Iraqi cabinet agreed by a vote of 27-1 on Sunday to approve the newest US draft of the Status of Forces Agreement between the two countries. The agreement speaks to a variety of issues concerning the occupation, including the complete withdrawal from Iraq of US forces by the end of 2011. Moreover, it includes a promise from the US to not use Iraqi territory as a launch pad to attack inside other Middle-eastern countries, as it did in late October during a raid on a village inside Syria. Sabah al-Nasseri believes that the Iraqi parliament will eventually turn down the agreement for political reasons, in the interests of securing one with Barack Obama when he comes to power in January. The timing is important as the Iraqi provincial elections, which are extremely significant given the power granted provinces under the Iraqi constitution, will take place on January 31. Sabah believes that the importance of faring well in those elections will force the parliament to reject an agreement which has received the rebuke of numerous groups, both religious and secular, who have organized massive protests over recent weeks. One piece of the agreement that very few people are talking about, which Sabah believes has angered many nationalists of all stripes, is the labeling of any armed resistance against occupation forces as terrorists, thereby criminalizing their activities under Iraqi law. Sabah believes that the most recent violence in Iraq was carried out by secular nationalists who are opposed to the deal, given that the targets of the attacks were all US and Iraqi government elements. Sabah, who was born and raised in the Southern Iraqi city of Basra, reiterates his support for an immediate withdrawal of all foreign occupiers, believing that the violence in Iraq stems from the occupation.

Born in Basra, Iraq, Sabah al-Nasseri is Professor of Political Science (Middle East Politics) at York University, Toronto. Prior to that he was a Lecturer of Political Science at the J.W. Goethe University, Frankfurt. Currently he is working on an article, “Understanding Iraq.”

See Part 1 at: http://current.com/items/89534152/un_mandate_for_us_troops_in_iraq_running_out.htm

See Part 2 at: http://current.com/items/89534210/be_careful_what_you_wish_for.htmSabah al-Nasseri: Strong nationalist movement has mobilized against the agreement, and they have guns. Part 3 The Iraqi cabinet... more