Failure of SOFA, Win for Iran...

SOFA - Iran and Iraq

by Jaleho
16-Jun-2008

For 30 years US has been trying to tame Iran, and setting Iraq against Iran has been central to that policy. The new Status Of Force Agreement (SOFA) is the latest attempt by US to force Iran and Iraq accept US hegemony in the region. Iran's reaction to continuous US threats of nuclear attack (which SOFA will give it a launch pad), obliteration and sanctions has been clear. Iran will not forgo of its rights and will continue its 30 year long resistance to US bullying.

But, would US be able to force Iraqi government to sign this disgraceful pact which is tantamount to Iraqi colonization? Can Iraqi people resist it? A short review of Iraqi people's reaction to US after Iraqi invasion gives a hope that this brazen colonization of Iraq by US would fail in its present format, as many previous US attempts has failed. Let have a quick review:

1. US used it puppet Saddam, providing military, political, financial, intelligence, and chemical weapons to kill Iranian revolution. They thought since Iran's army and the country was in a revolutionary chaos, they would have a cake walk.

2. Iran-Iraq war, instead of killing Iran, actually killed Iraq to such a degree that Saddam had to attack Kuwait to pay his war bills. The unrest among Iraqi people forced the US to remove the unstable Saddam and attempt to set up a stable puppet regime in Iraq.

3. US invaded Iraq (2003) to prevent an uprising of Iraqi people a la Iran, and by de facto occupation it set new military bases all around Iran. The Baath party which had failed to stop Iran was promptly removed and replaced by a puppet government.

4. Pentagon created the Coalition Provisional Authority, headed by Garner to rule Iraq after 2003 invasion. Thinking "mission accomplished fast", CPA even occupied Saddam's palaces as US permanent ruling sites, appointed its own agents, the Iraqi expats and some AIPAC sympathizer to form Iraqi Governing Council and write an Iraqi Constitution centered around US interests.

5. Iraqi people started their resistance to occupation. Ayatollah Sistani forced CPA to allow Iraqi election and a constitution written by elected Iraqis, or else....He would ask Iraqi people to pour in the streets for Iraqi sovereignty! It was the Iraqi people led by Sistani's call who fought for their democratic National Assembly, it was not granted to them as US claims.

6. Iraqi Interim Government (2004) formed but US installed its own puppet, Iyad Alawi, and forced other imported Iraqi expats like Chalabi to IIG. Alawi's cooperation with US in Fallujah massacre and his attempt to destroy Mahdi army angered Iraqis again. This time, Sistani prevented a US massacre in Najaf a la Fallujah by again threatening to call Iraqi people en masse to streets.

7. Iraqi Transitional Government was formed (2005-2006) approved by Iraqi National Assembly which was elected by Iraqi people and voted Ibrahim Jaafari as the PM.

8. US did not find a malleable puppet in Jaafri who had very close ties to Iran, and after long negotiation, the Government of National Unity under Maliki continued to represent the elected Iraqi National Assembly.

9. Now, US is trying to force and bribe Iraqi government to accept SOFA which is a blue print for Iraq's colonization.

Now it is up to Iraqi people to prevent this disgraceful pact, and again Sistani is doing all he can to spearhead the fight.

It is not easy to have 150,000 military force and huge number of bases of the biggest military bully in your country and continue to fight. But, that's the only choice Iraqis have in order to save their country from outright theft by Americans. Iran is doing all it can by leaking articles of the agreement to Iraqi people to empower them, as my previous News links indicates:

http://www.iranian.com/main/news/2008/06/13/iranian-cleric-asks-iraqis-r...

http://www.iranian.com/main/news/2008/05/12/us-laying-foundation-iraq-co...