Beware America's 'Stupid, Rash and Shallow' Ambassador

U.S. ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad has repeatedly shown that he is nothing but a shallow individual. His behavior is tantamount to that of a circus conjurer who relies more on slight-of-hand than his mind.

And recently, he barely avoided spilling rivers of blood after irresponsible statements that he made regarding the latest spiral of violence in the country.

He retracted his statements, blaming poor translation, and we would have believed him if this was his first such blunder.

Stupidity, rashness and shallowness are the only characteristics that can be suitably attributed to someone that places responsibility for Iraq’s deteriorating conditions anywhere but at the door of the United States.

And yet, that is exactly what Khalilzad did, before claiming that he was misunderstood or that his translators failed to interpret his comments properly.

Iraq is a failed country because of American arrogance and the shallowness of its ambassador.

After invading Iraq, America’s mighty Pentagon closed its eyes, covered its ears and refused to listen to logic about the reality of the situation in Iraq.

America’s ambassador, who wields immense power, takes his duties too lightly, has exhibited a shallowness of thought, and has exacerbated Iraq’s difficulties rather than alleviating them.

Khalilzad doesn’t even shy away from intentionally pitting already divisive and fractious groups against one another, sparking even more hatred and rancor and which has resulted in the shedding of tremendous amounts of innocent blood. And every time the crisis escalates, this shallow man withdraws into his dark quarters as if nothing had happened.

Khalilzad’s policy of trickery helps him achieve three goals:

1) It attacks and injures a particular party until it bleeds;

2) It lures another party at the expense of the first; and

3) It then apologized to the first party and blames responsibility for what occurred on a third party.

Khalilzad carries out these acrobatic maneuvers, despite their painful consequences, right beneath the Iraqi political tent. And unfortunately, they have become the ambassadorial ruler’s favorite games.

Iraqis of all stripes – both in and out of government – need to beware of this person, who is the reality of the United States incarnate.

Iraqis need to take a lesson from the shallowness of this man, and the crafty way he tries to evade responsibility.

We also need to realize that his shallowness and irresponsibility is not spontaneous, but is deeply rooted in the history of the United States.

Didn’t Washington vow to support Iraqis if they rose against former leader Saddam Hussein in the aftermath of his Kuwait invasion? When they did in 1991, the U.S. all but abandoned them.

I call on all Iraqis to bear this lesson in mind when dealing with the U.S. and its ambassador in Iraq.