Unity can help Iraq

US criticism of the Iraqi military’s performance in the battle for Ramadi drew swift criticism from Baghdad.

The acrimonious debate that ensued after the loss of Ramadi last week to Daesh militias was triggered by remarks by US Secretary of Defence Ash Carter, on CNN’s “State of the Union” programme last Sunday, in which he claimed that the Iraqi army defending the regional capital simply had no wish to fight the aggressors.

“What apparently happened is the Iraqi forces just showed no will to fight,” said Carter, adding that the Iraqi soldiers “were not unnumbered, in fact vastly outnumbered the opposing forces”.

Carter concluded that the Iraqi army was not driven out, but rather drove out of Ramadi.

These serious charges prompted the Iraqi government to take immediate issue with the US.

Iraqi authorities say Ramadi was lost to Daesh because of mismanagement, poor training, lack of suitable weapons and absence of aerial support.

The US intelligence community, on the other hand, sees the issue differently and puts the blame on President Barack Obama’s Iraq policy, alleging that his administration ignores the fact that Iraq is simply no longer able to function as a multi-ethnic state due to the deep divisions between Shiites and Sunnis, all too conveniently forgetting that it was George Bush’s adventure in Iraq that led to the present state of affairs.

The same US source calls for granting significant local autonomy to the three main Iraqi groups: Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.

The gloomy assessment about Iraq is not borne out by its long history, during which all major religious and ethic groups were able to forge a common destiny and supported a united Iraq, not a fragmented country that is easy prey to outside predators.

True, the Iraqi constitution stipulates that Iraq is an Arab-Kurdish nation, but that does not mean that autonomous regions should be created on sectarian basis.

Local governments are fine, division on religious grounds is not.

Sunnis and the Shiites were once able to live together in peace and harmony; there is no reason why they cannot stay united, provided an all-inclusive democratic form of government is in place.

Iraqis of all persuasions no doubt know that only united they can maintain the integrity of their country. They should strive to remain so if peace is to prevail.