"The Power to Resist"

Harith Al-Dhari, Al Ahram

[Harith Al-Dhari, head of the Muslim Scholars Association, spoke to Mohamed Al-Anwar of the Egyptian Al Ahram in Baghdad about the US attempts to court Iraq's Sunnis.]

Harith Al-Dhari comes across as a strong and imposing figure. Al-Dhari and his movement is one of the staunchest opponents of the fact that elections should be held while the country is labouring under the US-led occupation. The status of the Muslim Scholars Association rose to prominence in recent months when the movement championed a campaign to boycott the 30 January elections. Al-Ahram Weekly visited Al-Dhari at the association's headquarters in Um Al-Qura Mosque in western Baghdad.

There have been rumours that your recent meeting with the US ambassador to Iraq resulted in a secret agenda. Is this true? Who helped arrange this meeting and what was discussed and has another meeting been arranged?

Our meeting with members of the US diplomatic mission in Baghdad was the first such meeting to have taken place since the occupation. They had asked for the meeting and it was arranged through the intermediacy of the French Embassy. We agreed to meet because our door is always open to all diplomatic agencies that want to hear what we have to say, just as we want to hear what they have to say. The American delegation was headed by US Charge d'Affaires John Negroponte and consisted of several civil and military officials. Negroponte said that he had been instructed by his government to ask for this meeting. He then addressed two issues: security and the elections. On the first he said and I quote him "the Iraqi people have been deprived of security for 20 years and so they will remain until security is restored to the country. We believe that holding elections on time will help stabilise security and we hope that you participate in them because you are respected by your people and can influence others to take part in the elections as well."

In Europe, Fears Grow of a Coming Iran Conflict

Der Spiegel

Berlin — Remarks by United States President George W. Bush on Tuesday that he would not rule out the possibility of war against Iran have generated serious criticism in Germany. Leading German foreign policy experts have warned that a diplomatic solution is the only one for Iran.

German politicians have reacted with great concern over United States President George W. Bush's Tuesday statement that he would not rule out the possibility of going to war against Iran if the country does not stop its plans to develop a nuclear weapon. Many here fear the tense diplomatic impasse could lead to an escalation in the Middle East conflict and derail European efforts to negotiate a settlement with Tehran.

Jelloul writes:

Juan Cole's"Lebanon-like solution" is: put aside 20% of seats in parliament for the Sunni Arabs:

If elections are held in January, I see only one way to avoid disaster. This would be some sort of emergency decree by the current government that sets aside, say, 20% of seats in parliament for the Sunni Arabs. This procedure would seat Sunni Arab candidates in order of the popularity of their lists and in order of their rank within the lists on which they run. But the results would essentially be "graded on a curve." In a way, this procedure is already being followed for women, who are guaranteed 30% of seats. This solution is Lebanon-like and is not optimal, but it might be the best course if long-term sectarian and ethnic conflict is to be avoided. Remember, the first thing the new parliament will do is craft a permanent constitution. You want Sunni Arabs sitting at that table, or else.

No Mr Cole, a Lebanon-like non-sectarian solution is: leave 50% of seats for Sunni Iraqis — including Sunni Kurds.

Economist Robert Heilbroner Dies at Age 85

New School University

New School University mourns the passing of Robert Heilbroner, Norman Thomas Professor Emeritus at the Graduate Faculty, who died on January 4, 2005 at the age of 85. Author of 25 books and countless articles, Heilbroner was an outstanding public intellectual of the 20th century.

His classic treatment of the history of economic thought, The Worldly Philosophers: The Life and Time of the Great Economists, captivated generations of readers with its elegantly written, witty, and probing discussions of how economists from Smith to Keynes struggled to understand the history of capitalism.