Iraqis Unite Against Splitting the Nation

Sen. Joe Biden’s plan to divide Iraq along sectarian lines has had an unintended consequence: It has united much of the country, Shiite and Sunni alike, in opposition to the measure.

Iraqis, it seems, are put off by the idea that their nation, for all its problems, is a plaything for an American politician — whether George W. Bush or Joe Biden — to shape.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has now joined that unlikely alliance of Iraqis, saying of Biden’s proposal: “Attempts to partition or divide Iraq by intimidation, force or other means into three separate states would produce extraordinary suffering and bloodshed.”

It should be noted that some like the idea of a decentralized Iraq, notably the Kurds, who already enjoy much autonomy, and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, which hopes to consolidate Shiite power.

New York Times:

Many Iraqi politicians have reacted angrily to the proposal, suggesting that at the very least they find it presumptuous. Opposition to it has even found currency on the street, where Iraqis have volunteered their opinion to American reporters they encountered. Said one, “So you are going to divide our country?”

At a joint news conference on Sunday, six diverse political parties that are discussing the removal of the current government objected to a divided Iraq.

“We think this would complicate the security problem and Iraq would undertake a long-term war and a civil war more than we have witnessed already,” said Basim Shareef, a member of the Fadhila Party, told reporters.

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