America is usurping the democratic will in Iraq
To forestall a clerical-driven religious regime
, Washington has a plan to arm small militias
By Michael Meacher04/05/05
"The Independent"

- - It's two months now since the elections in Iraq, and still no government is formed. The struggle over the Sunni problem, the Kurdish claim for the massive Kirkuk oilfields, and the manoeuvring between religious groups and contending personalities continues unabated. But there is a deeper problem still.

There are two scenarios for Iraq. One, the American one, aims for a pro-Western government, an uninterrupted supply of Middle East oil to US markets, and a semi-permanent military base in the area to ensure that the first two objectives are secured.

The other is more complex, and only now slowly beginning to emerge.When the Bush administration decided to invade Iraq, they expected there would be a quick handover to carefully selected allies in a secular government that would be the opposite of Iran's theocracy, and perhaps even a counterfoil to Iran's regional aspirations.

It is one of the greatest ironies of the US intervention that the Iraqi people instead used their first voting opportunity to elect a government with a strong religious base, and indeed with close links to the Islamic republic on their border.

The US, having destroyed the sole major secular government in the region, is now at risk of replacing it with a theocratic regime.

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