Washington has realized that the sectarian regime in Baghdad has become a reality. However, the regime needs to make some effort in order to cement the balance among the country's various constituent components before the US army withdraws next year. Vice President Joe Biden, who as senator wanted to partition Iraq, was tasked with anchoring this equilibrium. The man has become an export in settling disputes among rival groups over shares of influence. He gave the Kurds guarantees, and they agreed to the election law. He intervened at the right time to defuse a crisis that might have seen “moderate” Sunnis return to the resistance. He asked the Shiites in power to hold off on implementing the decision of the Accountability and Justice Commission and delay de-Baathification policies, and they agreed. However, why the American concern with the Baath Party? In fact, most of those who were excluded from campaigning in the elections, accused of belonging to the Baath, have proved their determination to engage in political activity in recent years. Some have taken part in cooling down the Sunni “rebellion” and changing the policies of some tribes and groups of ulama (religious scholars) vis-à-vis the new regime. Their participation in power is required to enforce a balance among these “constituent elements,” especially since they no longer constitute a threat to US policy, whether in Iraq or elsewhere. Their pan-Arabism, for which the US fought them, has become cut off from the roots it knew under the Baath, in terms of ideology, policy and aspirations. They do not serve as a threat to anyone; however, they are a guarantee for the entire country to avoid falling under Iranian influence. A group of Iraqis still has the patriotic feeling to counter the transnational religious, sectarian and ethnic influence from the east. Washington seeks this precise balance in Iraq, a balance whose foundations have been anchored, and it does not want it to be upset by the exclusion of a segment of people who have proven their usefulness in the make-up of the regime. The regime is anxious and resembles the Lebanese model of dividing shares of influence among religions and sects. It is enough for Washington that the regime remains in danger and in need of the US, the current Biden, and the person who takes his place in the future. The US uses the regime when it wants. It ignites covert wars when they serve its interests. Iraq is the “headquarters and passageway” for Washington to the Gulf and the surrounding region. When Biden put forward his plan to partition Iraq, he was not dreaming of more than what has been achieved in recent years. The Kurds require his guarantees. The Shiites need his mediation. The Sunnis need his protection. Iraq has been eradicated, and the Baathists remain (without the Baath) in need of his visits to rescue them from injustice.
