Remember how Bushco shut out the Ba'athists in the Iraq Government? They're back......with ISIL
A prominent Iraqi pollster says the nation may be moving toward rule not by the militant Islamic fighters who have swept up territory the last two weeks, but by their allies-of-conveniencea coalition led by former Baathist forces ousted by US troops 11 years ago.
Munqith Dagher, who conducts Iraqi polls for Gallup International and his own firm, told Quartz that he based his conclusions on interviews with tribal leaders in Sunni areas of the country and a telephone survey conducted June 19-21 in the city of Mosul, which fell to the insurgents on June 10.
If accurate, Daghers findings coincide with the direction of events in Afghanistan, where the Taliban are resurgent, and suggest that the groups overthrown in both Baghdad and Kabul following 9/11 may be headed toward positions of prominent political influence.
Numerous reports from Iraqsuch as this one (paywall)have detailed the role of former loyalists of Saddam Hussein alongside tribal groupings in the uprising that is tearing apart the country. The thrust of the reports is that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIL) has been so successful not principally because of its own prowess, but because of its alliance with seasoned officers and troops from Saddams disbanded army, in addition to profound Sunni discontent with Baghdad (both the Baathists and the militants are predominantly Sunni).
The Baathist influence could come to the fore if prime minister Nuri al-Maliki is pushed out of power or elects to share it. The US has recently been expressing its growing discontent with Maliki, who has favored fellow Shias and shut Sunnis out of government. Speaking on a visit to Washington, Dagher said that the Baathists would be extremely well-placed politically in an Iraqi government reconfigured (paywall) to be more balanced and halt the countrys apparent hurtle toward partition into three sectarian states.
more
http://qz.com/225356/saddam-husseins-baathists-may-be-winning-back-political-influence-in-iraq/