Iraq's political crisis shows no sign of easing a month after the Shi'ite-led government sought the arrest of a Sunni vice president, triggering fears that Iraq, without the buffer of U.S. troops, could return to sectarian conflict.
Accused of running death squads, Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi is holed up in Iraqi Kurdistan as a guest of Iraq's Kurdish president. The government of the semi-autonomous region has not responded to requests from Baghdad to hand him over.
Internal political clashes were what I was worried about when we left Iraq. Without our military presence, factions may resort to force out of fear of what could happen if others use force first (and successfully).
Prime Minister Maliki wants the trial to be held in Baghdad. Hashemi wants it held in the Kurdish region where he sought refuge.
Couldn't we engineer some type of compromise where the trial is held in Baghdad via teleconferencing technology under UN supervision while Hashemi physically remains in the Kurdish region?
We need some type of compromise that allows rule of law to proceed. If Hashemi is guilty, he needs to be punished. If he is innocent, we need rule of law to function and find him not guilty of the charges.
We do have an interest in what happens in Iraq even though we bugged out last month. Shouldn't we unleash the shock and awe of our vaunted smart diplomacy? What are we saving it for?
