KUT, IRAQ // Corrupt and incompetent political parties are causing democracy in Iraq to fail, according to the leader of one of its most powerful tribes.
Despite significant improvements in the security situation since 2007 and last month's elections, widely hailed as successful, Sheikh Rabea'a Mohammed al Habeeb warned that political freedoms were being strangled.
"Politically speaking, we are sinking deeper and deeper," he said in an interview at a tribal gathering in Kut, 170 km south-east of Baghdad. "We have hundreds of political parties and none of them want to serve the people or the country.
"The parties that are elected represent no more than five per cent of the population."
Sheikh Rabea'a, who was educated in England and stands at the pinnacle of Iraq's tribal aristocracy, said years of sanctions and war have made the Iraqi people a "ticking time bomb" that could explode again unless real improvements are made quickly to their living conditions.
Millions of Iraqis continue to live in serious poverty, while most of the population suffers from high unemployment, undrinkable water, patchy electricity and poor medical treatment. Corruption is rampant, which has enabled a tiny minority to amass enormous fortunes.
"The elections are in themselves something good, but serious questions remain about the people who are elected," he said. "Democracy in Iraq at the moment is seen by certain parties as a way of getting as much money as they can as quickly as they can. No one has actually done anything constructive."
He claimed that political parties with millions of dollars in their coffers "can just buy votes", which is how they get elected - "not because they have honest intentions".
"Iraq is like a sick man at the moment. It needs good medical treatment, not an unqualified doctor."
Sheikh Rabea'a said Iraq is not ready to have a democratic system of government because ordinary people do not understand how one functions and become disillusioned when promises that were made are not delivered. Persistent failures could make the country turn its back on ideals of democratic governance, he said.
"Before the days of Saddam and the Baath Party we had a democracy in Iraq and it worked well," he said. "But things have changed since then - the country has been corrupted, it has suffered decades of decline. That will take time to remedy and I'm not sure democracy will do that. Democracy is good when you have educated, intellectual people, but it doesn't serve us well at the moment."
Sheikh Rabea'a, whose tribe spans much of southern and western Iraq, as well as reaching into neighbouring Arab states, also blamed tribal leaders for failing in their duties.
"We are a tribal people in many ways, but we have not organised ourselves," he said. "The tribes in southern Iraq in particular have not been organised and that has been our big mistake. We could have been more involved, we could have stood in the elections and make sure that competent, honest people were elected.
"At the moment we haven't done that. I'm sure there will be a change in the future."
His bleak assessment is far from universally shared. Many Iraqis, as well as western political analysts, saw the January elections as a positive step forward for Iraqi democracy. Some of the big, incumbent blocs, particularly the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, were thrown out of power in a series of provinces, with people voting for a change after four years of ineffectual leadership.
In Kerbala, home of some of Shia Islam's most sacred sites, voters even chose a former Baathist, Yousef al Haboobi, part of the coalition of the prime minister, Nouri al Maliki, over the religious parties. Although he ran a low-cost, low-key campaign and was smeared as being an ally of Saddam Hussein, Mr al Haboobi won grassroots support because of his reputation as a competent technocrat.
Although detailed election results have still not been realised, Mr al Maliki's group performed well, winning in two of Iraq's biggest cities, Baghdad and Basra.
Sheikh Rabea'a was unconvinced however, and said a tribal council should be established to act as a watchdog on the government.
"A tribal council, of 10 or 15 prominent sheikhs would be good for the country," he said. "They would not be interested in money - they have enough - and they just want to see the general living conditions of their people improved. This is a rich country and we have enough for people to live good, comfortable lives, like in the Gulf states.
"I don't think the politicians in Iraq would want such a thing because it would be like a guard; it would be watchful eyes on what is happening, it would stop this corruption."
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The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
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UAE SQUAD
Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri
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Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score)
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017