Iraqi coalition on brink of collapse as country descends towards civil war

More than sixty Sunnis died in Iraq yesterday in some of the worst Sectarian violence yet seen, with six men being dragged from a mosque, doused with petrol, and set alight whilst soldiers stood by.

The violence is now so out of control that one begins to wonder if anything can stop it. Even if Bush were to take Baker's advice and involve Syria and Iran, there must be serious doubts that even their intervention can have much effect on a country that is tearing itself apart.

Yesterday, the government itself appeared to be on the brink of collapse as Moqtada al-Sadr threatened to walk out if the Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki, went ahead with his proposed meeting with George Bush in Jordan next week. Were al-Sadr to walk, this would potentially cause the collapse of Iraq's government.

This violence has added urgency to the regional summit due to take place today between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Iraqi counterpart, Jalal Talabani.

The US and UK have always accused Ahmadinejad of fuelling the violence, although the words emanating from Iran are placing the blame for the violence solely at the door of the occupation.

In a reflection of the importance Iran attaches to the summit, Mr Talabani is also expected to meet the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the ultimate say on foreign policy.

Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, predicted that Mr Talabani's visit would produce "important agreements". He described the violence and the US-British occupying forces as "two sides of the same coin" adding: "The two issues should be taken into consideration jointly and a comprehensive solution found."

Indeed, it is being stated that Iran are hoping to catch the attention of the US through this summit:

Observers in Tehran said the government there hoped to use its summit as an overture to Washington. "The Iranian leadership are trying to use Mr Talabani, who has a special role inside Iraq and has never criticised Iran, as a mediator between Tehran and Washington," said Saeed Leylaz, a political analyst. "Mr Ahmadinejad is hopeful that he can attract America's attention through Iraq."

The question now is whether or not even the involvement of Iran, and possibly Syria, can bring this cycle of violence to an end.

Thursday was the most deadly day for Iraqi civilians, and morgue statistics showed that the past month has been the bloodiest since the 2003 invasion, according to the UN, with 3,709 civilians killed.

Since taking office, Mr Maliki has been under constant US pressure to disarm the Mahdi army and other Shia militias, while remaining beholden to them to stay in power. The Sadr party demanded yesterday that Mr Maliki "specify the nature of its relations with the occupation forces", demanded a timetable for a US withdrawal, and issued its ultimatum over the scheduled Bush-Maliki meeting in Jordan next Wednesday and Thursday.

"There is no reason to meet the criminal who is behind the terrorism," said Faleh Hassan Shansal, a Sadrist MP.

The White House appear determined that the meeting must go ahead with Bush. Maliki has now been placed in the most horrendous position, being forced to choose between his US protectors and an essential pillar of his coalition.

Time will tell if either Bush or al-Sadr will back down, but one thing remains a constant: Iraq is sliding into chaos and the US are shamefully making the duty of restoring order the responsibility of the new Iraqi army rather than the responsibility of the occupying forces.

This is a stunning abdication of duty. Colin Powell famously told Bush before the invasion that invading brought the US special responsibilities which he summed up as the pottery barn rule:

'You are going to be the proud owner of 25 million people,' he told the president. 'You will own all their hopes, aspirations, and problems. You'll own it all.' Privately, Powell and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage called this the Pottery Barn rule: You break it, you own it."

Bush has broken Iraq and is now attempting to shift the blame for this on to the new Iraqi government.

If he pushes Maliki and forces him to meet in Jordan he may yet bring about the collapse of the entire Iraq government.

Has there ever been a more stunningly incompetent President than this? Iraq, the policy which will define his entire time as President, is in chaos. It is a chaos from which he is not only seeking to avoid responsibility, but it is one that his hubris - by insisting that Maliki meet with him - may yet lead to the total collapse of Iraq's government.

And, all the while, thousands of innocent people are dying every month. Iraq is Bush's legacy. It is a legacy of death, destruction and chaos.

And there's no light at the end of the tunnel.

People have been jailed for causing less destruction than he has.

tag: Bush, Iraq, Iraq war, "Stay the course", Syria, Iran