A deBaathification law did pass, but.....
A revision of the deBaathification has been passed by the Iraqi parliament. However, one of the elements appears to be that the exBaathists will receive pensions not jobs, and according to sources on both sides, the law will allow forced retirement of large numbers of Sunnis currently working in government.
So, more Sunnis on the payroll, less Sunnis in the government.
An accommodation, but a step away from powersharing.
Later: The WaPo has a bit more description. People from the third and fourth ranks of the Baath party are to be affected. Third rank forcibly retired, fourth rank will probably leave, too.
Just as a sense of it, in the critical to the future Interior Ministry, "The new measure could lead to a new purge of members of the current Iraqi government, Lami said, including about 7,000 officers in the Interior Ministry. Even influential Iraqi security force officials who used to be Baathists could face removal."
So, it's payments to the exBaathists in exchange for a new purge.
Later: Juan Cole points out that it wasn't supported in parliament by the exBaathists themselves. "So the parties in parliament that have the strong Baathist legacy did not like the law one little bit. But they are the ones that it was intended to mollify!"
So, more Sunnis on the payroll, less Sunnis in the government.
An accommodation, but a step away from powersharing.
Later: The WaPo has a bit more description. People from the third and fourth ranks of the Baath party are to be affected. Third rank forcibly retired, fourth rank will probably leave, too.
Just as a sense of it, in the critical to the future Interior Ministry, "The new measure could lead to a new purge of members of the current Iraqi government, Lami said, including about 7,000 officers in the Interior Ministry. Even influential Iraqi security force officials who used to be Baathists could face removal."
So, it's payments to the exBaathists in exchange for a new purge.
Later: Juan Cole points out that it wasn't supported in parliament by the exBaathists themselves. "So the parties in parliament that have the strong Baathist legacy did not like the law one little bit. But they are the ones that it was intended to mollify!"
posted by mikevotes at
6:38 AM
2 Comments:
The key phrase for me was "....will allow thousands of former party members to apply for reinstatement...". I can't see any influential Baathists getting through the application process.
By
Anonymous, at 10:35 AM
Exactly. It sounds like they may get paid, but they're being cut out of power.
By
mikevotes, at 11:18 AM
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