Deadly attacks in Iraq raise fears amid Biden visit

Deadly attacks in Iraq raise fears during Biden visit

Two separate attacks in northeastern Iraq have caused the death of an estimated 18 people. A car bombing outside a marketplace in the town of Khalis killed 10 people and wounded 25 others. Another attack in the town of Buhriz targeted an anti-al-Qaeda leader and head of the pro-government Sahwa, or Awakening Councils movement. He and six members of his family were killed. The towns are both in the predominantly Sunni region of Diyala, which was a stronghold of al-Qaeda during the apex of violence between 2004-2007. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden visited the country to mark a new phase of diplomacy and the end of military involvement as the U.S. troop withdrawal is set to be completed by the end of the month. The past week has seen a series of deadly bombings raising fears among many Iraqis that insurgent attacks will increase with the departure of the U.S. military. In light of the attacks, Biden said he recognized security concerns but maintained that “violence is at an all time low since 2002” and the Iraqi government has the capacity to defend the county.

Headlines  

• Results for the first stage of Egyptian elections, due out today, are likely to find Islamists with a majority and the Muslim Brotherhood with over 40 percent of parliament seats.
• A report by Amnesty International criticized Saudi Arabia for repression while a new “anti-terrorism” draft law is accused of aiming to stifle peaceful dissent and political activism.
• An EU foreign ministers meeting will focus on measures to address Iran’s nuclear program; meanwhile, Israel’s Defense Minister maintained Israel is not currently planning an attack.
• Yemeni President Saleh and the opposition agreed to an interim government, while sectarian clashes erupted in the northern provinces.

Daily Snapshot

An Egyptian man reads a newspaper at a cafe in the Zeitun neighbourhood of Cairo on November 30, 2011. Egypt’s Islamists claimed they were headed for victory in the opening phase of the country’s first post-revolution election after two days of peaceful polling that won international plaudits (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images).

Arguments & Analysis

‘Don’t panic. Yet.’ (Issandr El Amrani, The Arabist)

“I think that there can be a positive outcome here: if the Muslim Brothers are serious about consolidating electoral democracy, and work hard on addressing that issue, there will be other elections for those that disagree with their conservative views (or foreign policy, or economic liberalism) to make their case. The biggest lesson from this election should be that the non-Islamists in Egypt need to strategize, organize and cooperate much better than they have done so far – and most importantly of all, reconnect with the average Egyptians who were not inspired to vote for them. The other reason I have for optimism is that even if the elections returned conservative candidates, the Egyptian uprising of 2011 unleashed many progressive ideas, notably with regards to the relationship between state and civilian. That battle will continue to be fought.”

‘Gaza’s tunnel complex’ (Nicholas Pelham, Middle East Report online)

“For all the benefits, the tunnels have one — potentially fatal — flaw. In the eyes of Hamas’ own purists and other Islamists, the tunnels have twisted Gaza’s Islamist movement into a business concern. Merchants with Hamas connections vie for contracts for government supplies. Sophisticated faction-run tunnels, of which Hamas has the lion’s share, use their ability to transfer in bulk to undercut smaller suppliers. And, increasingly, internal political rivalries overlap with competition over who collects and distributes the spoils, pitting the interior ministry and the regional military commanders in the south against the overall head of the ‘Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, Ahmad al-Ja‘abari. And with so much to gain from the tunnel business, few Hamas leaders seriously consider a reconciliation process with the Ramallah half of the PA unless it will allow them to retain hold of their assets.”

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