Iraq needs a fresh approach; free from party political pressures and ulterior motives. Was the Baker-Hamilton Report a missed opportunity?
Cabinet Withdrawals
The withdrawal of the Sunni Accordance Front from the coalition government of Iraq on 1st August 2007and further withdrawals of 5 cabinet members on the 7th, reported by Al Arabiya news, marks a new low point in the tragedy of Iraq. These withdrawals add further fuel to the unofficial civil war that continues to rage in the backdrop of diplomatic and political manoeuvrings.
A War within a War
The surface of Iraq’s complex cultural dynamics reveals Sunni and Shia Islam members as the main players in this brutal war. The Kurds, who harbour hopes of ruling their own independent state, make up the third largest culture, followed by Turkoman, Assyrian and other ethnic cultures.
Added to this mix are coalition forces, rumoured presence of Syrian and Iranian secret forces and a number of extremist groups, of which al-Qaeda is chief.
In short, Iraq has become a self-sustaining magnet of controversy. The intoxicating prospect of power has relegated cultural diplomacy to a secondary concern and placed the prize of controlling an oil rich nation as the primary target.
Unusual Solutions to Unusual Problems
A resolution to Iraq’s problems requires a departure from the current policy of increased financing and military deployments, as this only seems to fan the flames of an already brutal civil war. Iraq needs a fresh approach; free from party political pressures and ulterior motives; an approach that recognises persistent and unusual problems often require persistent and unusual solutions.
The Iraq Study Group Report
The Iraq Study Group Report of 6 December 2006 provided such an approach and presented a clear way forward. The report was a bipartisan collaboration that brought together a distinguished body of ten members who had earned the confidence of the political establishment in America. The report is commonly referred to as the Baker-Hamilton report, after the co-chairs, former secretary of state James A. Baker III and former congressman Lee H. Hamilton.
Cultural Diplomacy
The report identified cultural diplomacy as the most important consideration for resolving this tragedy, it was careful to place cultural diplomacy as its primary Recommendation and referred to the use of diplomacy no less than 47 times. The report took the unusual approach of advising the US government to directly engage Syria and Iran, and warned against a piecemeal and sporadic implementation.
The US government’s response to the report was dismissive.The Baker-Hamilton report continues to gather dust on the shelves of politicians.
Diu Mianzi
Diu Mianzi is a Chinese mandarin term that roughly translates as the ‘loss of pride or face’. While the practice of preventing the loss of face is a common cultural phenomenon, South East Asians are perhaps recognised as the strictest adherents of this practice.
Diu Mianzi is an important concept to understand in the politics of cultural diplomacy as politicians will often say and do things which are contrary to what they believe is right and reasonable in order to avoid losing face. On close analysis, it is difficult to draw any other conclusion than to hold that the fear of diu mianzi is the major stumbling block that prevents the US from implementing the full provisions of the Baker-Hamilton Report.
The loss of another 70 lives and horrific injuries to many more victims at the beginning of this month, suggests that there may be no other alternative to cultural diplomacy in the search for a way forward.
Sources: The Iraqi Government Official Information Gateway, United Nations.
Read more: UN Expands Role in Iraq
