Iran Helped Prod al-Sadr Cease-Fire
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/31/iraq.main/index.html
This article is about Iran’s involvement in the cease-fire that occurred in Iraq over the weekend. Negotiators from Iraq representing Shiite tribes, most notably Muqtada al-Sadr’s, traveled to Iran to discuss the possibility of a cease-fire. The clashes were between Shiite outlaws in Basra and supporters of the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki. The Iraqi lawmakers were able to persuade Iran to cut off their aid to Shiite militias and to pressure al-Sadr into ending the fighting. Although some Iraqi government officials deny that Iran was involved in ending the violence, other sources confirm that Iran was able to convince al-Sadr to end the Shiite violence. In Basra alone, 200 were killed and 500 were wounded in the violent clashes. Efforts to find the remaining outlaws by security forces have continued in regions such as Basra since the negotiations, and the United States continues to support these police forces. Although the violence in Basra has decreased significantly, other nearby towns have experience similar rises in conflict, and it will likely continue to spread.
This event has many implications for Iraq itself and for the rest of the world. Although immediately Iraq is safer and more peaceful in one region, it is extremely dangerous for Iraq to be appealing to a nation like Iran for help. With the involvement of the United States in Iraq and the difficult tensions between Iran and the United States, including Iran in the internal affairs of the sectarian violence in Iraq will only increase the instability of the region and complicate matters more. Thus, although in the short-term having a cease-fire in a dangerous conflict is helpful, if the habit of asking Iran to use its influence on factions of Iraqi leaders continues, the United States will have an even harder time achieving its goals in Iraq. Also, allowing Iran’s influence to spread anywhere in the Middle East is dangerous because of its open hostility towards Israel.
Filed under: Uncategorized
