Despite laws being drafted for the formation of the council, nobody ever really seemed to take it seriously and it was never created. However now, it seems that politicians from all parts of the spectrum, and of all sects and ethnicities, believe a National High Council for Strategic Policies is more important than ever.
In fact, the only major objections have come from al-Sadr, who is often critical of Iraq’s political scene. He said the Council wouldn’t matter because, as he put it, "corrupt politicians only produce more corruption”.
The draft law for establishing the council describes its job, among other things, as “active participation in resolving conflicts that hinder the political process in Iraq”. Basically it is supposed to help end political gridlock and prevent any one party or power from making unilateral decisions.
One thing is for certain: Intervention by a body like a National High Council is certainly needed, assuming it was to work effectively. Iraq’s Parliament has looked more chaotic than ever since April. MPs have walked out, traded insults and accusations, engaged in fist fights, tried to remove senior politicians from their posts and protestors, representing certain parties, have invaded the parliamentary buildings.
Additionally, the three large blocs in the Iraqi parliament that used to take a more or less united stand on issues are also in turmoil. The Shiite Muslim and Sunni Muslim blocs are split and the Iraqi Kurdish bloc, which has always put its own ethnicity’s interests first, is also under pressure due to conflicts between the two major Kurdish political parties up north.
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