Iraq news 

Iraq news

Ahmed Chalabi has a lot of 'splainin' to do:

"'What the INC told us formed one part of the intelligence picture,' a senior official in Baghdad said. 'But what Chalabi told us we accepted in good faith. Now there is going to be a lot of question marks over his motives.'"

In a more recent development, it turns out that contracts worth $400 million have been steered to associates of Chalabi. Already in this story there is a suggestion that Chalabi is creating a private army, which might be a threat to Chalabi's fellow members of the IGC.

A more sinister take on the possibility of a Chalabi private army here.

The U.S. has made it official that their "caucus" plan for establishing a new constitution in Iraq is dead.

Shiite leaders are pushing for elections in the Shiite south, and the Kurdish north, but not (alas) the Sunni centre of the country.

As Bush-hating Garry Trudeau points out, there is a possibility of civil war; even if the outcome is better than that, it is likely that the major groups will remain in charge of different parts of the country by way of militias.

One bright spot: democratic elections of mayors, ably assisted by a U.S. officer. I can't find it right now; later.