TomScrace: Treating organisations like the Al-Mahadi Army as legitimate is absurd

The more attentive among you may remember a short conflict in July of 2006 between Israel and the Hezbollah terrorist militia in Lebanon. Although the war lasted only 33 days it inflicted heavy casualties on both the Israeli and Lebanese sides of the border. It has been estimated that more than 1,000 Lebanese civilians died, and that more than 4,000 Israeli civilians were wounded as a direct result of the war.

It all started when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israeli military targets to act as a diversion for the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers. The plan was to force Israel to trade a number of Lebanese prisoners for the soldiers. Israel's reaction was to promise a 'very painful and far-reaching response' and to begin to attack targets within Lebanon with artillery and air strikes . In the following days there was considerable confusion about who the main combatant parties in the war were. The Lebanese prime minister vacillated between supporting Hezbollah, and disavowing them. The Israelis began by declaring Hezbollah's aggression 'an act of war' on the part of the Lebanese state, but later changed its mind, stating that 'Israel is not fighting Lebanon but the terrorist element there'.

All this should be taken as a cautionary tale against the power of independent militias operating outside the control of state governments. One does not have to work very hard to think of other examples of the destruction that can result from tolerance of armed partisan groups. Whether they genuinely operate without state influence, or whether they are merely acting as proxies for veiled state aggression - as in the case of Sudan's Janjaweed group - these bodies are always a destabilising influence. That Hezbollah, an organisation with no official government support, was able to engage the Israeli army on equal terms is testament to the power that such rogue groups can attain, and how dangerous they can be.

In the past few days we have been reading reports from Iraq of the ongoing dispute between the Iraqi government and Muqtada al-Sadr's Al-Mahdi Army. al-Sadr - who remains safely hidden within Iran - has claimed that despite his attempts at a cease-fire, the government has been targeting his militia for political reasons. He has now threatened the government with open war in the event that they fail to discontinue military operations against his people. He has also claimed that the attacks against his group are an attempt to eliminate any opposition to the Shi'ite parties in government before the October elections.

There are striking similarities between the Al-Mahadi Army and Hezbollah. Both are non-government groups with strong paramilitary wings. Both claim to engage in humanitarian work as well as military activity. Both are Shi'a Muslim bodies allegedly funded by Iran, and both have the potential to ignite deadly conflicts. Both ought to be disbanded, or at the very least disarmed as soon as possible.

That we even entertain a dialogue between these groups and their host nations as legitimate is revealing of our lack of perspective. If such a militia were to emerge in the US or an EU country it would seem absurd for anybody to defend the group with claims that they also provide health services, or that they are trying to achieve a cease fire and should not be attacked. The very existence of such an organisation in a first world nation would never be tolerated, and we ought to apply the same standards to the middle east.

It is not possible to achieve lasting stability in Iraq, or any nation, unless groups like al-Sadr's are disarmed. It is a fundamental principle of nationhood that the state must have exclusive control over military power, and that such power must be subject to the rule of law.

It is heartening that the Iraqi army, backed by the US and UK forces in the area, is beginning to make inroads against al-Sadr's people in Basra. It is further heartening that the leader himself has retreated to the security of Iran to pursue 'study'. Let us hope that the credibility and strength of this organisation, and others like it, continues to decline.

References

The July War

Janjaweed