I don’t mean the surge. I mean the most hopeful small sign in a very long time. The NYT reported it this morning:
On Iraq’s political front, a growing number of politicians publicly declared that they embraced the idea of a cross-sectarian political movement that has been gaining strength this week. It was not yet clear the form the front would take, but if successful it would have broad implications for parliamentary divisions and the way government ministries are apportioned: they are currently handed out to parties, most of which have clear sectarian sympathies.
Most significantly, the Fadhila Party, a faction of the united Shiite bloc, the largest group in Parliament, announced it was leaving the bloc.A spokesman for Fadhila suggested there was frustration with sectarian politics.
"We want to try to build a new politics that is not sectarian that will include all of Iraqi society," said Bassim Sharif, a leader of the Fadhila party. However, he stopped short of saying that they would join the new bloc. "For now we will try to work alone to prove there is a Shiite party that can work in a nonsectarian way." But, he added, "this is the first step to save Iraq from this crisis."
I don’t know whether this will hold, whether it will gain enough momentum to make a difference, let alone help form a new truly national government. But that it is happening at all is encouraging, no? We have been hoping for a miracle. This isn’t one, but it’s the first step away from civil war that I’ve read about in ages. Petraeus today endorsed the obvious fact that this kind of deal – and this alone – can improve the disaster in Iraq:
"Any student of history recognizes there is no military solution to a problem like that in Iraq, to the insurgency in Iraq. Military action is necessary to help improve security … but it is not sufficient. A political resolution of various differences … of various senses that people do not have a stake in the successes of Iraq and so forth — that is crucial. That is what will determine, in the long run, the success of this effort."
Which is why this minor development matters. We are also facing the imminent international conference in which the U.S. will be talking with Iran and Syria about Iraq’s future. Keep hope alive.
(Photo: A US army Apache helicopter drops flares as it flies over Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone 08 March 2007. By Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Images)
The Dish 