November 6, 2015 9 News & Analysis

Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi dies

Jamal J. Halaby facilities unveiled that witness ac- counts, through Chalabi and others, were fabrications. At the time, an Amman impenitent Chalabi said removing Saddam from power justified the owerful Iraqi politician means. Ahmed Chalabi, whose A secular Shia Muslim, Chalabi faulty information on stood for prime minister in August Iraq’s alleged programme 2014 but lost his bid because of to produce weapons of his contentious policies, particu- Pmass destruction drew the United larly isolating leaders of the rival States and its allies into a quagmire Sunni sect and others associated in Iraq, has died of a heart attack in with Saddam’s Arab Ba’ath Socialist his home. He was 71. Party, a move that fuelled sectarian Chalabi suffered a heart attack in concerns. early November 3rd in his residence “His political ambitions always in Baghdad’s upscale stood in the way of making some neighbourhood, according to Jabbar real good changes for the country,” Abdul-Khaleq, a long-time friend of said Karrar Ali Mohsin, an oil en- the deceased and a lawmaker who gineer who worked under Chalabi served with Chalabi in parliament’s when the politician headed the Iraqi Finance Committee. Oil Ministry a few years ago. “It was a severe cardiac arrest and “He had a vision and good ideas he died instantly,” Abdul-Khaleq but this was often overshadowed told The Arab Weekly in a telephone by controversial policies he adopt- interview. ed, which made him an enemy to Chalabi’s career extended over many,” Mohsin said. He was refer- decades, although part was spent ring to Chalabi banishing many Sun- Security forces escort the coffin of Ahmed Chalabi, in Baghdad, on November 4th. in exile during the reign of his arch- ni oil ministry employees and oth- enemy, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hus- ers suspected of ties to the Ba’ath sein. Party. financial institution before it sud- and Saddam’s secular foes in a bid police raided Chalabi’s residence Until his death, Chalabi served denly crashed and sent the coun- to overthrow him. INC received tens and offices in Baghdad on suspicion Chalabi was part of a as a member of parliament and the try’s fragile economy on a limp. of millions of dollars from US intel- that he had been involved in a cur- committee that head of legislature’s Finance Com- accused Chalabi of em- ligence agencies and the US State rency trading scheme. No charges mittee. Earlier, he was president of bezzlement and a military court Department to topple Saddam. were brought, however. disbanded the a US-appointed Governing Council, convicted and sentenced him to 20 Afterward, Chalabi developed Chalabi maintained cordial ties Ba’ath Party. which administered Iraq for nearly years in jail. The trial, verdict and warm ties with US President George with during Saddam’s era and a year after the invasion. Later, he sentencing were in absentia as Chal- W. Bush and top administration of- afterward. Being a Shia Muslim, served briefly as minister of oil. abi had fled to Britain hours before ficials, who went to war with Iraq Chalabi managed to enter Tehran’s A longtime US ally, Chalabi once Chalabi was born to a wealthy Jordanian authorities announced to remove Saddam. political hierarchy and befriend in- enjoyed access to the White House, Shia family who fled Iraq following that the bank had crashed. Back in politics at home after fluential politicians and clerics who particularly during Republican ad- the 1950 coup against the Hash- The Central Bank of Jordan spent Saddam was deposed, Chalabi was backed him no matter who ruled in ministrations. He provided US se- emite monarchy. He studied in the $350 million to bail out Petra Bank. part of a committee that disbanded Baghdad and despite his close US curity authorities, congressional United States and earned a doctor- The financial institution was liqui- the Ba’ath Party. He went a step ties. leaders, administration officials and ate in mathematics from the Uni- dated and the bank closed less than further, rallying for the banning of even journalists with details of an versity of Chicago. two years later. Ba’ath members — mostly Sunnis Jamal J. Halaby, based in Jordan, is Iraqi weapons programme. In the 1980s, Chalabi turned to In 1992, Chalabi formed the Iraqi and tribal leaders — from holding Levant editor for The Arab Weekly However, following the 2003 US- politics and finance. He launched National Congress (INC), a group public posts. But his honeymoon and has covered the Middle East led invasion of Iraq that toppled Petra Bank in Jordan, which soon that brought together Shia religious with the Americans did not last and North Africa for nearly three Saddam, a search of Iraqi military became the country’s second largest parties, Kurdish political leaders long. In 2004, US soldiers and Iraqi decades. Ahmed Chalabi: The genius who didn’t know his limits

Viewpoint n the mid-1990s, I attended a ment and cooperation on Iraq. high-level meeting at the The master manipulator managed home of a senior Jordanian to convince the George W. Bush political official who administration of the need to oust informed me that I was sitting Saddam and his regime, a decision in the same chair in which that has had a profound effect on IAhmed Chalabi had sat shortly the region. before he fled Amman. Chalabi was somehow able to This well-known Jordanian politi- convince the most powerful govern- cian, a fierce opponent of Iraq’s ment in the world of a non-existent Khairallah , explained how connection between Saddam Hus- Khairallah Chalabi had paid a surprise visit sein and al-Qaeda. This is a connec- before leaving Amman under mys- tion that only existed in the minds terious circumstances immediately of those who wanted a justification, after the Petra Bank scandal that any justification, however delusion- rocked Jordan’s economy in 1989 al or false, for a war on Iraq. — and just ahead of a warrant was Yes, Saddam had to go, but the issued for his arrest. question remains: Is Iraq today bet- The politician revealed that he ter off than it was in 2003? had invested $1 million with Chal- Without Chalabi, there would A December 2005 file picture shows the then-leader of the abi’s investment fund, which had have been no US-Iranian rapproche- Ahmed Chalabi (R) listening to ex-US secretary of defense in promptly lost the money. But such ment and cooperation and, indeed, Baghdad. were Chalabi’s powers of persua- no 2003 . Chalabi was in- sion and personal charisma that the strumental in organising the famous politician acknowledged he would 2002 London conference of Iraqi Iraq continues to suffer from the that Chalabi was a charismatic probably not hesitate to invest with opposition figures that put forward results of this notorious document, Yes, Saddam genius but did he use this genius Chalabi again. the basis of a deal between them — which destroyed any chance of a and charisma in order to build or to Ahmed Chalabi’s role in Iraqi poli- with US-Iranian sponsorship. strong and stable political future. had to go, destroy? tics is peerless — no other politician Chalabi, who arrived on a plane Yes, Chalabi manipulated the but the Chalabi’s opposition to the has had such an effect, whether from Tehran, took a leading role Americans. He knew how to get question Ba’athist regime in Iraq was all we are talking about the Saddam in the conference, which provided things done in Washington and how remains: Is well and good but is the sectarian Hussein era or beyond. Chalabi’s the theoretical political basis for to benefit from any opportunity system that he contributed to estab- political manoeuvring and ability the post-war period. This confer- to stand out and push his agenda. Iraq today lishing any better? to influence others were second ence needed a Shia component, Most surprising of all, he managed better off Or was Chalabi, the grand ma- to none. He played a pivotal role which Chalabi duly provided in the to do this while lacking any real or than it was in nipulator, unable to understand in two major changes in Iraqi, and figure of Abdulaziz al-Hakim, the genuine popular support in Iraq, that perhaps others were using and indeed world, history. late leader of the Islamic Supreme something that stymied his post- 2003? manipulating him for their own The first game that Chalabi mas- Council of Iraq. He also went to the invasion political career. ends? tered was playing on the Iranians, British capital directly from Tehran. But Chalabi failed to understand The tragedy of Chalabi was his securing US-Iranian rapproche- Any disagreement that emerged his limits. In post-Saddam Iraq, he belief in his own ability to use and during this pivotal meeting can be was no longer able to exploit and manipulate others. He was con- traced to Chalabi, who knew how to manipulate the big players, includ- vinced of this until he found that he The tragedy of Chalabi use Iranian influence and US cover ing Washington, which had gotten was the one who had been manipu- as levers to achieve his objectives. wise to his game. But most danger- lated and used. was his belief in his The London conference emerged ously, he was simply not aware with the most dangerous document — although some others argue the Khairallah Khairallah is a Lebanese own ability to use and for the future of Iraq, including the opposite — of where all this would writer. The commentary was manipulate others. phrase “the Shia majority of Iraq”, end, with Iraq falling into the hands translated and adapted from the which pleased Tehran, and the term of sectarian militias controlled . It was originally published “federal formula”, which pleased by Iran and under greater Iranian in the London-based Al Arab the . hegemony. There can be no doubt newspaper.