Juan Cole. Iraqi Parliament Resolves to Kick Out US Troops,Trump Threatens Mother of All Sanctions

01/06/2020


Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – By a simple majority, the Iraqi parliament in an extraordinary session on Sunday passed a resolution requiring the executive to take steps to preserve Iraqi sovereignty by expelling US troops from the country. The Sunni and Kurdish parties made themselves scarce, and there was only just barely a quorum. All the major Shiite parties voted for the resolution. Shiites make up 60 percent of Iraq’s population and they now dominate the upper echelons of the government and military.

Some members of parliament chanted “Death to America” during the session, an unprecedented event. That chant is associated with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Iraq’s parliament is relatively weak, and implementation of the resolution is up to the prime minister and his cabinet. The signs are however, that Abdulmahdi and his successor (a new prime minister is in the course of being installed) will in fact press for the US military to leave the country.

Axios reports that US State Department initially attempted to stop the parliamentary vote from taking place (presumably by pressuring its Iraqi political allies). That press failed miserably, given the angry mood of the country after the US attack on an Iraqi military officer. After the resolution passed, State pleaded with the Iraqi parliament to rethink its decision, but somehow I don’t think that is going to happen.

https://www.juancole.com/2020/01/parliament-threatens-sanctions.html