The Iraqi Government Begins to Assert Itself

Signs that the Iraqi government is starting to take steps to assert its authority and restore order:

Kirk Sowell reports that Iraqi PM Maliki

has appointed a three-man council made up of Ali Hamadi (former border guard chief) as chair, Abd al-Khadr Mahdi (current legate of the Interior Ministry), and General Ali Ibrahim (from the Defense Ministry). The article notes that they were chosen in part because of their independence from local Islamic parties, presumably meaning Fadhila and the Sadriya. The article states that they carried a letter from the prime minister giving them authority over “all the security organizations” in the Basra Province, including the ability to appoint chiefs of each entity. Effective Tuesday August 7, their authority was to last one month subject to renewal by the prime minister.

Read it here.

He notes that the appointment has not been welcomed by local officials. I would suppose not, but federal control of the security apparatus is essential to establishing an effective governemnt.
And at the other end of the country Sowell notes:

The Iraqi government has closed the Baghdad offices of the Marxist Kurdistan Workers’ Party, an anti-Turkish terrorist organization, and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has promised his Turkish counterpart that no PKK activities will be tolerated in Iraq.

Read it here.

Combine this with Maliki's recent remarks criticizing the Israeli offensive in Lebanon and the conduct of some US forces and we see a fledgling democratically elected administration taking is first steps to assert both its domestic authority and its independence -- and isn't that what the whole Iraq enterprise is about?