In Another Vacuum
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of Iraq should be called to account for comments quoted in various American publications that Israel is the aggressor in the fight against Hezbollah. “The Israeli attacks and air strikes are completely destroying Lebanon’s infrastructure … I condemn these aggressions and call on the Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting in Cairo to take quick action… We call on the world to take quick stands to stop the Israeli aggression.”
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of Iraq should be called to account for comments quoted in various American publications that Israel is the aggressor in the fight against Hezbollah. “The Israeli attacks and air strikes are completely destroying Lebanon’s infrastructure … I condemn these aggressions and call on the Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting in Cairo to take quick action… We call on the world to take quick stands to stop the Israeli aggression.”
Interestingly, at the Arab League meeting, the Iraqi delegates joined Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain in supporting the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal’s denunciation of Hezbollah’s, “unexpected, inappropriate and irresponsible acts.” “These acts will pull the whole region back to years ago, and we cannot simply accept them,” he told his counterparts.
We hope al-Maliki’s remark was the product of a spasm, and has no relation to his actual understanding of the role of militias and terrorist organizations operating in areas where sovereign governments fail to exercise sovereign control.
In northern Iraq, PKK terrorists have been engaging in continual cross-border warfare against Turkey – most recently killing 14 Turkish soldiers. Iraqi Kurdish officials (with a Kurdish militia) have declined to take military action against the PKK, saying they want to bring the organization into the political process – but have failed to do so. Rather like Lebanon said about Hezbollah and Fatah said about Hamas. In all cases, it is important to understand that terrorist groups don’t care about the political process, except to the extent that it provides cover for terrorism.
The U.S. has warned Turkey against cross-border retaliation into Iraq, but it is really hard to understand how Israel’s fight is different from Turkey’s fight in this regard. Israel has little complaint with the Government of Lebanon except that it did not exert its authority over the terrorists operating within the country. Turkey has little complaint with the Government of Iraq, except the same thing.
We are enormously grateful to the President and Secretary of State for standing on the principle that Israel’s actions in Lebanon are self-defense and that a cease-fire should prevent a return to status quo ante, and we even understand why U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson could say, “We have repeatedly said that we believe that unilateral military action across the border with Iraq would be unwise.”
But what will the President say to Mr. al-Maliki? There are 130,000 American soldiers in Iraq to precisely help his government extend its authority to all areas of the country and to wipe out militias, terrorists and foreign fighters. If he can’t understand the intersection between our policy toward Iraq, toward Israel and toward Turkey, we haven’t been explaining ourselves very well. If we don’t do a better job, Mr. al-Maliki may find his country on the receiving end of a lesson from Turkey that, while it might prove “unwise,” will not be undeserved.