Word: iraq
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Like the knee-jerk decision to dismantle the Iraqi army, the U.S. decision in 2003 to ban members of the former ruling Baath Party from joining the new Iraqi government was one of the biggest blunders of the early American occupation of post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. It instantly alienated an entire spectrum of civil servants and politicians, many of whom didn't have much loyalty to the old regime and could have been enlisted in the construction of a new government. And because many of them were Sunni, it helped widen the sectarian split in Iraqi society that eventually...
...ensued after Shi'ite hard-liners sought payback for the years of oppression under Saddam's Sunni-dominated regime, while Sunni hard-liners took up arms against the new government. Luring Sunni parties back into politics was one of the cornerstones of the successful realignment of American policy toward Iraq, one that was reinforced by the surge of American forces in Baghdad. It led to a steady return of relative peace and security...
...American officials are heading back into the breach, and Biden back to the phones, hoping to find a compromise before the confrontation escalates and endangers the election itself. The U.S. - which has promised to withdraw all its combat troops from Iraq by Aug. 31 and all remaining soldiers by 2011 - has tied the timing and pace of withdrawal to the successful completion of this election. Though it is unlikely that Sunni parties will again boycott the election or return to violent tactics, the parliament's sleight of hand could be a warning that however much the White House...
...split into Comedy/Musical and Drama.) Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds. Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire. Only in the Picture and Director categories did the two groups disagree. The Broadcast Critics gave those awards to Kathryn Bigelow, and her Iraq bomb-squad drama The Hurt Locker, while the HFPA cited Cameron, Bigelow's ex-husband, and Avatar. "Frankly, I thought Kathryn was gonna get this," Cameron generously said at the Globes. "And she richly deserves it." (See the best movies of the past decade...
...Administration is trying to be careful in its assessment of al-Awlaki. Officials recognize that in demonizing a jihadist, they may create a monster they cannot control as the U.S. seemingly did in 2003 when it identified Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi as the top al-Qaeda leader in Iraq at a time when he was little more than a relatively obscure Jordanian terrorist operating north of Baghdad. The notoriety was a bonanza for al-Zarqawi, as mujahedin streamed to join his group. As for al-Awlaki, "the best way to describe him is inspirational rather than operational," says a senior...