Word: jaafari
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Ibrahim al-Jaafari is no strongman. He speaks so softly that he often seems to be whispering to himself. Even when audible, he can be hard to understand: his vocabulary is drawn heavily from classical Arabic, full of flowery phrases and literary allusions. Although al-Jaafari served as a Vice President in Iraq's interim government, his patrician bearing seems more suited to studying philosophy than engaging in the dirty, dangerous business of Iraqi politics. In a world of tough-guy posturing, al-Jaafari doesn't hide his sensitive side: he bonded with former U.S. proconsul Paul Bremer over their...
...weary Iraqis and Americans alike, al-Jaafari's gentility is a welcome antidote to the country's chronic acrimony. After weeks of negotiations, al-Jaafari, 58, has emerged as the favorite to become Iraq's first elected Prime Minister--the most powerful position in the incoming government. His main challenger has been Ahmad Chalabi, the former favorite of the Pentagon, whose relationship with the U.S. soured after he was accused of passing secrets to Iran. Though he commands little popular backing, Chalabi waged an aggressive campaign for the premiership, hoping to pick up support from uncommitted members of the Sistani...
...gets the top job, al-Jaafari, a physician by training, will have to display a surgeon's dexterity to hold together fractious Shi'ites, cool off restive Kurds and reach out to disaffected Sunni Arabs--all while figuring out how to accommodate a U.S. military presence that is widely resented but still indispensable to the country's security. It helps that al-Jaafari is acceptable to most of Iraq's ethnic, religious and political groups; opinion polls last year identified him as one of Iraq's most respected politicians. "He is not a divisive figure, and in Iraq today, that...
...Islam should be the official religion of the country and one of the main sources for legislation, along with other sources that do not harm Muslim sensibilities." IBRAHIM AL-JAAFARI, leading candidate for Iraqi Prime Minister, on the role of Islam in the new Iraq...
...Jaafari government would likely represent a political package quite different from what the architects of the Iraq war might have envisaged. But a majority of Iraqi voters repudiated the U.S.-backed incumbent, and his successor will not likely incline towards aligning himself with U.S. policies elsewhere in the Middle East, from Israel to Iran. Jaafari may also have positions on questions of government and the economy quite different from those favored by the U.S. Still, the Bush administration has welcomed the election results and vowed to keep its troops there until security is established. The coming months, then, will usher...