Thursday, September 02, 2004

Peace in Falluja?

Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has reached an agreement with Falluja notables for governing and rebuilding the city. The subtext here is buying certain leaders with cash, which as I have suggested is something we should really consider in Iraq, since that's worked to an extent in the much more difficult terrain of Afghanistan. Here, Allawi has promised $50 million in development aid. Political power in Arab tribes is based off distributing wealth, and governments have historically manipulated the situation by choosing who gets the wealth to distribute. I don't know the details of how this agreement will operate, but I suspect the tribal leaders Allawi negotiated with will play a key role in distributing the aid.

UPDATE: Of course I would dearly like to know how this air strike plays into the above situation.

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