AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER JOHN HOWARD SUGGESTS IRAQI SPLIT JUST WEEKS AFTER INVASION OF IRAQ!

There’s nothing new in the seemingly recent idea that US interests may be better served by Iraq being split into essentially three separate and autonomous states in the classic divide and rule style reminiscent of colonial days. In April of 2003, just a few weeks after the launch of the invasion of Iraq, the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, let the cat out of the bag of US plans for a post-war Iraq when he suggested that a federation modelled on Australia’s system of government could operate in Iraq.[1] Howard must have realised that he had spoken prematurely and out of turn with his suggestion because as far as I am aware he hasn’t spoken of it since and certainly hasn’t claimed the idea as being his own.

Since Howard wouldn’t dare make suggestions off his own bat about how the US should deal with a post-invaded Iraq, especially a suggestion that has such deep ramifications about US foreign policy toward Iraq, one can only assume that Howard was aware of US intentions and plans for Iraq’s ultimate fragmented political future long before it became public knowledge that this maybe what the US has now planned for Iraq. That being the case furthermore, one can assume that this is what the US had planned for Iraq all along which would explain why the US and the coalition of the willing have been seemingly so inept at stopping the ethnic and sectarian violence.

If this indeed is what has happened then one also then needs to ponder to what extent the occupying forces have been ‘inept’ at stopping the violence and how much of the violence was actually provoked by the occupying forces in order to frame a situation whereby a divided Iraq may well seem to be seen as an answer to the problem. It would certainly keep the Israelis happy and, of course, the US would need to hang out in Iraq for a very long time while the new federation of states settled themselves in.


ENDNOTE
[1] ‘Aussie system could suit Iraqis: PM’, Lateline, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 14 April 2003. Available online: http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2003/s832152.htm Accessed 9 October 2006.