Baghdad Fighting Prompts Arab Summit to Avoid Iraq

Iraq had been hoping that Baghdad would be the site of the next Arab Summit, but the outbreak of fighting between the primarily Shi‘ite government forces and the Sunni Awakening (Sahwa) councils has apparently persuaded the Arab League to choose Libya as the venue instead. The fighting is complicated and somewhat dangerous, since other Awakening Council leaders are threatening to break with the government unless ‘Adil al-Mashhadani, who was arrested last week, precipitating the fighting, is released. Since the success of the "surge" in pacifying Baghdad and several Sunni provinces was largely accomplisahed through the Awakening Councils, the continued stability of the country could be in jeopardy if the present clashes spread.

Other reports say that Nuri al-Maliki has asked that Baghdad host the 2011 summit, since the 2010 summit is going to Libya instead.

In this context, Juan Cole today notes the fact that many Sunni Arab states are uncomfortable with the Shi‘ite-dominated government in Baghdad. That is certainly a consideration; Maliki is also rather too close to the Iranians for Saudi tastes. And, of course, there is the awkward fact that meeting in Baghdad while American troops are still in the country would leave the League open to charges that it was tacitly cooperating with occupation. Nevertheless, the unfortunate coincidence of the clashes with Awakening and the Doha Summit gave added excuse for denying the next Summit to Baghdad. The Al-Zaman story linked above also notes that the Saudi King declined to meet with Maliki in Doha.

Given Qadhafi's outburst against King ‘Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, the choice of Libya may seem a bit surprising as well, but Maliki's hopes for hosting the 2010 Summit were certainly undermined by the renewed violence.