The Iraqi political scene continues to occupy a prominent position in the political, regional and international arena as the country's political crisis is not over yet.
Various political blocs are still searching for new methods to renew the rules of engagement to govern the country as a result of the Kurdish initiative.
The Supreme Council of Strategic Policies may well be the reason for many more issues to confront the country. The council was agreed upon by the Chairman of the State of Law Coalition, the chairman of the Al Iraqiya bloc and the president of the Kurdish region, as a solution to the government formation crisis. It was also decided that the council will be chaired by the Al Iraqiya bloc.
However, the Supreme Council for Strategic Policies is not a constitutional body. Political manoeuvres were behind its establishment and it was formed to enhance the principle of national partnership of all political blocs in the country.
The whole idea of the council was conceived during the last months after the March elections and is not entirely new. In reality, it is a revival of the same pale idea of the 2006 council which was announced earlier, with no real authority. The difference between this council and the previous one is that the new council will have a special law to give it a constitutional cover.
The council did not come about as a result of the complete conviction of all political blocs in the country. Rather, it was a result of tremendous internal and foreign pressures to achieve political coordination.
Some political blocs in Iraq reluctantly accepted the council in order to reach a political balance so as not to disrupt the whole political decision making process. It is no secret that the council was set up to appease the Al Iraqiya bloc and its chairman on the one hand, and as a bargaining tool in the face of crisis which may pop up later.
In fact, the time it took to form the government in Iraq was directly linked to formulating the council's special law. There is an agreement to pass the legislation during the constitutional one month time period given to form the government.
The council's special legislation is surrounded by several problems and obstacles. Some of them are related to powers to be given to the new council, while others are related to the mechanism of making use of the council's recommendations, if its executive powers are taken away. Other problems are related to the method of applying the council's decisions if its executive authority is maintained.
There are also questions related to its membership and whether the council members should be elected directly by the people or appointed.
There are many confusions in Iraq's political corridors regarding the Supreme Council of Strategic Policies and the limits of its authority. The ideas and thoughts that surround the council are also numerous, conflicting and unclear.
Manifestations
There are two basic and clashing ideas regarding the council's authority. The first belongs to the Al Iraqiya bloc which is in the direction of a true manifestation of a national partnership, towards maturing a common vision in strategic policies related to internal and foreign issues, economic planning, national security, Iraq's wealth and resources, and achieving the country's national reconciliation.
The Al Iraqiya bloc believes that the council must have executive powers as it represents all Iraqi political blocs.
The new council as perceived by Al Iraqiya is a supreme authority with powers that exceed those of the Cabinet and parliament. Their suggested authorities are both legislative and executive according to the constitution which calls for amendments to its basic elements.
Those amendments may well clash with many rules and mechanisms in the constitution itself, and will no doubt need a lot of time to overcome, thus hindering the time duration allowed for putting together the government.
The other vision is that of the State of Law Coalition. The leaders in this coalition are unwilling to give up any part of the executive authorities of the Cabinet, and they also see that the new council must be tasked with setting up the country's supreme policies, without an executive power in accordance with the constitution.
The method of decision making in the new council will no doubt make it a helpless entity in opposition to the executive authority, as there are suggestions that any binding decision must get no less than 80 per cent of the council's votes before passing any resolution. This may prove to be a crippling feat, especially as the new council will only mirror the current political scene.
It will be difficult for the new council to agree on setting uniform supreme policies as its members belong to a wide realm of political blocs that do not see eye to eye on most issues.
Throughout all the world's democracies there is not one similar situation which points to the success of such a council. It may be wise for the Iraqi legislators to set an article in the council's law making it legal for a limited duration of time, a limit which may be extended if tensions remain on the Iraqi political scene.
Dr Mohammad Akef Jamal is an Iraqi writer based in Dubai.
