Remember the Adhamiya wall?

Marc Lynch, Abu Aardvark

..Residents felt less "protected" than imprisoned, with comparisons to the Israeli wall unavoidable. In response, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered construction of the wall halted. Iraqis seemed pleased: "Mr. Maliki’s decision to speak out against the wall was read on the streets as a moment of defiant Iraqi sovereignty in the face of the Americans." No one was sure what would happen next - would the American actually listen to the Prime Minister? Ambassador Ryan Crocker said yes, but military officials seemed unfazed. Well, without much publicity,, Maliki reportedly has changed his mind: Dave Kilcullen, the Senior Counter-Insurgency Advisor for Multi-National Force Iraq, explained that Prime Minister Maliki restarted the project after he was briefed on the need for the barrier and how the protests had come about. "As I understand it, once the reasons for the project and the likely benefits in terms of lives saved were explained to the PM, he was happy for it to continue. I understand that the evidence of extremist manipulation was also a factor." Kilcullen likened the barrier to an "urban tourniquet," and explained that the propaganda campaign to disrupt its construction came from none other than al Qaeda in Iraq. (...) At any rate, people should know that according to this report the wall is back on, and its because the US forces say (and Maliki supposedly believes) that hostile Iraqi public opinion is all al-Qaeda's fault...

continua / continued