Politics in Iraq are working ...

What’s the difference between Iraq and Egypt?

Michael Rubin

What’s the difference between Iraq and Egypt? Politics in Iraq are working. 

 The Washington Post reports today that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is developing renewed alliances with both Kurds and Arab Sunnis. This should not surprise.

There’s an unfortunate pattern in both the US media and also among our diplomatic corps that the more isolated they are from events they report, the more dire their conclusions and descriptions of the situation in Iraq. Yes, terrorism is a problem, but to blame Iraq is to blame the victim, not the perpetrators.

No, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is not an autocrat. I was fortunate to spend much of last month in Iraq (my reporting is here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). Pictures of religious figures and other politicians dot the landscape on the streets of Iraq, but photos of Maliki are few and far between. Maliki has to work with a broad array of politicians to advance Iraq. Sometimes it works; often it does not. In the most successful provinces — Basra, Maysan, and Kirkuk — a broad array of political parties work together for the common good.

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