All politics is local—even in war.

last updated 8 January 2015

Germany

Stefan Kornelius

Süddeutsche Zeitung

Coalition strategy in Iraq has nothing to do with what’s actually happening in Iraq, said Stefan Kornelius in the Munich Süddeutsche Zeitung. At this point, it’s all about the domestic politics of the U.S. and Britain. Officials from both countries are well aware that Iraq “can neither be pacified militarily nor steered politically,” yet it also can’t be abandoned. “Without an international presence, the Iraqi people will slaughter each other.” That unavoidable analysis is, of course, rarely articulated, “as it indicates only hopelessness and helplessness.” So it’s no wonder that domestic concerns take precedence. The Brits are pulling out of Basra, not because they’ve made the region stable or peaceful but because Prime Minister Gordon Brown, “intent on calling early elections, is marshaling his political capital.” Even worse for Iraq is the attitude in Washington. The Democratic Congress and the Republican White House are battling over whether to stay in Iraq not because they differ on what would be best for that country, “but rather so as to create an advantage for their respective parties in the next presidential election.” It isn’t about Iraqis. Maybe it never was.