« Cruz/Sanders Campaigns on Life SupportRussian v. EU Refugee Policy »

Iraq in Turmoil

May 3rd, 2016

Stephen Lendman

Public anger over unchecked corruption while popular needs go begging may be the undoing of Washington’s puppet regime.

On Saturday, thousands breached the heavily fortified Green Zone. Hundreds entered parliament. Protesters want revolutionary change, current ministers replaced with new ones, no action so far taken.

One protester likely spoke for others, shouting “(y)ou are not staying here. This is your last day in the Green Zone.”

Another said “(w)e are fed up. We are living a humiliated life. We’ll leave here only when the corrupt government is replaced with another of independent technocrats that serve the people, not the political parties.”

Late Saturday, protesters reportedly left parliament, began a sit-in at Ihtifalat Square inside the Green Zone.

They were mostly peaceful. A celebratory atmosphere prevailed - waving Iraqi flags, jumping and dancing on parliament meeting tables and chairs.

Minor damage to state property was reported. Hours later, Abadi issued a statement, claiming conditions in Baghdad were “under the control of the security forces.”

Parliament speaker Salim al-Juburi called corrupt MPs “representatives of the people and their servants,” a shameless perversion of truth.

Abadi ludicrously ordered security forces to arrest and prosecute protesters responsible for threatening the safety of lawmakers and damaging state property.

Influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr blasted parliamentarians for “refus(ing) to end corruption and end quotas,” adding he and his supporters won’t participate in “any political process in which there are any type…of political party quotas” filling ministerial and other regime positions.

Middle East analyst Zaid al-Ali MPs and Abadi’s regime aren’t capable of reforming. “They will always defend privilege.” What happened Saturday “was entirely predictable.”

On Thursday, Joe Biden visited Baghdad, a fool’s mission to support Washington’s puppet regime, maintain the phony pretext of combating ISIS while attempting to calm political unrest - exploding when he left.

Before his arrival, a senior administration official called his visit a “symbol of how much faith (Washington) ha(s) in prime minister Abadi” - illegitimately appointed, widely despised.

Former US military planner in Baghdad Doug Ollivant said hopes for Abadi surviving the political crisis faded. His regime “as it’s currently structured can’t hold.”

If he falls, Washington will install another puppet to replace him. The only required qualifications are serving US interests, maintaining order and subduing public unrest successfully.

It’s been ongoing intermittently for nearly a year. On Saturday, it boiled over - the legacy of America’s imperial ruthlessness.

-###-

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.

No feedback yet

Voices

Voices

  • Fred Gransville There was something unusual on the White House driveway on March 11, 2025. Elon Musk was selling Tesla vehicles in collaboration with Donald Trump, the sitting President of the United States. From conducting business at the White House…
  • By Tracy Turner Uncover the toxic history of U.S. industrial and military pollution, from Hanford to Camp Lejeune. This inquiry exposes how government and corporate inaction have led to cancer clusters, ecological destruction, and human agony. Explore…
  • By Mark Aurelius 70% of Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza are women and children This essay contains controversial statements that could alarm people who are not tolerant of contentious assertions or questions, such as regarding religious beliefs,…
  • Tracy Turner The economic crisis of 2025 under the leadership of Donald Trump and Elon Musk draws alarming parallels to the Great Depression of 1929, exacerbated by the dismantling of critical U.S. infrastructure and the breakdown of federal regulatory…
  • Dr. Vladislav B. Sotirovic Hamas, or according to its full name, “Islamic Resistance Movement”, is a Palestinian political-national organization with a military wing of a conservative Islamic nature and orientation. Its purpose is to resist the Israeli…
  • Robert David From McKinley's economic vision to Trump's Project 2025 policies, history reveals striking parallels in protectionism, wealth disparity, and speculative excesses. Will we learn from the past or repeat its Great Depression mistakes? William…
  • by Tracy Turner Nikola Tesla was not just an inventor. Tesla was a visionary whose inventions and ideas transcended the limits of space and time, shaping our modern world in ways that most people might not even be aware of. Born on July 10, 1856, in the…
  • By David Swanson, World BEYOND War On Monday I interviewed a member of the Executive Committee of AIPAC. I asked him how he could defend and promote apartheid and genocide. He was not a legal witness; I could not order him not to change the subject.…
  • Terry Lawrence What started as a fight for equality has devolved into materialism and superficial empowerment. Today, feminism prioritizes status and consumerism over spiritual and emotional growth, leaving many women feeling empty and disillusioned.…
  • Terry Lawrence Exploring the complexities of gender discourse, toxic estrogen, and the contributions of men to modern society. The fallacy of feminists profiting from male invention and infrastructure while relegating all maleness to a test-tube of…
March 2025
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
 << <   > >>
            1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31          

  XML Feeds

CMS + forums
FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted articles and information about environmental, political, human rights, economic, democratic, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. This news and information is displayed without profit for educational purposes, in accordance with, Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Thepeoplesvoice.org is a non-advocacy internet web site, edited by non-affiliated U.S. citizens. editor
ozlu Sozler GereksizGercek Hava Durumu Firma Rehberi Hava Durumu Firma Rehberi E-okul Veli Firma Rehberi