Strong institutions could help Iraq

"Some Iraqi politicians argue that Iraq is not an exception in being late to form a government, as this is common in other well-established democracies if their political systems do not yield an overall majority," wrote Jaber Habeb Jaber in a commentary for the pan-Arab newspaper Sharq al Awsat. "Yet Iraqis missed the point that these older democracies have check-and-balance mechanisms ensured by other institutions that work independently."

In Iraq, the situation is different. The government is the major stakeholder in the national economy, and so any absence of its authority may jeopardise the people's interests. This could take a deadly turn with the sectarian character of the community. The political system needs urgently to lay down a structure that will guarantee a smooth democratic process after each election. The present stalemate has been triggered by a strange concept about who should first have the opportunity to establish the government. Most political blocs believe they will be able to do so through last minute coalitions with other parties, which are politically divided and not based on clear ideological lines. To put things in order, there is an obvious need to amend the constitution and empower state institutions.

While Hamas steps up its political campaign against the Palestinian Authority after the latter responded positively to Washington's call for direct negotiations with Israel, this should not obscure the fact that the Islamic movement governs the Gaza Strip, maintained Abdullah Iskandar in an opinion piece for the London-based newspaper Al Hayat.

"The differences between Fatah and Hamas on the management of  the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are understandable, but what is quite inexplicable are attempts to resolve such divisions through force." It is beyond normal understanding to see Hamas turning against other Palestinian factions, which share with it almost the same political stance. This has affected not only secular political organisations, but also the Islamic Jihad Movement.

Hamas is acting as a repressive force that tries to subject other forces in the Strip to operate under its wing. On many occasions, protests against Israelis  were banned under the pretext of failure to obtain a licence from the government of Hamas or on security grounds. Worse still is the way Hamas deals with the population. It has imposed a strict regime by closing down coffee shops, entertainment facilities and cyber centres. Moreover, it demolished houses because their owners failed to obtain necessary licences.

In a commentary for the UAE newspaper Al Khaleej, Saad Mehio drew a scenario for Yemen and the region, if the US ever considers the country a priority on its agenda. It is likely that Washington will use unmanned weaponry, commando operations and flash raids as it did last year, causing the deaths Yemeni civilians. Such a development would ring alarm bells throughout neighbouring countries, because Washington is about to declare a "Yemeni front" as part of the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which could prolong the conflict.

Any military-intelligence move may cause al Qa'eda to enhance its presence instead of weakening it. Similarly it will turn Yemen into a point of attraction for more armed extremist movements. Furthermore, since Yemen is on the verge of becoming a failed state, it is possible that US involvement will trigger more security chaos. US military operations may also abort attempts to reform the political and economic system in the country. This, in turn, will undermine the possibility of devising political solutions to accumulated crises. Neighbouring countries should adopt a more economic approach to ease the internal crisis. It is true that they provide generous aid but this has not been properly employed to enable the central government to propose a settlement with rebels.

"The US engages with countries, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen as exporters of terrorism, but what if the world deals with it the same way?"  Mazen Hammad asked in an opinion piece for the Qatari newspaper Al Watan.

At first glance, this question may sound illogical, but it was raised seriously by the WikiLeaks website and invited vsitors to comment on it. "The website divided the Americans into several categories of those who commit terrorism." WikiLeaks gives the example of the Israeli extreme right movement, which in 1991 hosted Baruch Goldstein, an American who opened fire on Palestinian worshippers in Hebron the same year, killing 29 people.

According to the website, Goldstein was not the only American who carried out, or participated in, terrorist operations. Many more Americans of Irish origin supported the IRA, which undertook several attacks on British troops in Northern Ireland. Many Muslim Americans also went to Pakistan last year to participate in "jihad". A US citizen named David Headley had worked as a spy for the Pakistan's notorious Lashkar-i-Taiba terrorist organisation, just before the deadly Mumbai blasts of November 2008.

* Digest compiled by Mostapha El Mouloudi @Email:[e-mail]