NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, 18 September 2004 — If Ahmed Chalabi were a woman, what kind of woman would he be?
Probably a lot like Rend Rahim Francke, the US-appointed Iraqi provisional government’s new ambassadress to the United States.
Chalabi and Francke were both born in Iraq. Both claim professional banking and “currency” backgrounds. Both lived high in Lebanon. Both favor costly silk power suits — Francke prefers pink. Both are impeccably educated (abroad, naturally). Both speak upper crust accented English. Both “actively resisted” Saddam Hussein’s regime largely by way of what Francke calls “constant telephone contact with Iraq.” Both ran lushly financed organizations — Chalabi’s Iraqi National Congress and Francke’s Iraq Foundation — millionaires’ neocon clubs. Both affect elegant manners. They radiate “big money,” the source of which seems obscure. And both have spent almost none of their lives actually in Iraq.
But unlike Chalabi, who hails from London and is rumored to be her cousin, Iraq’s new Ambassadress Francke won’t have far to travel in assuming her new post. She’s lived in Washington for at least sixteen years now.
And you can instantly set her apart from the rest of the diplomatic crowd because...well, she’s one of us — that is of US. She’s an American citizen. Since 1987.
Well, score one goal for the neocons. That is a tough thing to pull off. See, international law doesn’t usually allow that. Having a US citizen represent a foreign, supposedly sovereign state in the United States is very, very, very unusual. A real rarity. So much an obvious conflict of interest is it that, Franckely (oops!), the US government should refuse to accept her credentials unless she immediately relinquishes her US citizenship. And even then, shouldn’t there be well some kind of waiting period? A decent interval? For the sake of appearances?
Aren’t there already enough Americans running the show in Iraq?
Let’s see — 150,000 US troops, 3,000 US diplomats and personnel on their way with various dependents, and who knows how many private US civilian contractors, innumerable well-meaning but still American NGOs.
And then the gadflies, the ‘war tourists’.”
That’s a lot of Americans in Iraq, most of whom are there to either secure, support, or oversee the “Iraqi” government.
But why stop with Iraq? Neocons didn’t get to where they are today by leaving politics to chance, no sirree. Just imagine Cheney, Feith, Rice, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, the whole neocon gang, sitting around a map of Baghdad, and suddenly someone says, hey, why stop with grossly expanding America’s Baghdad embassy, when we can take over the Iraqi Embassy in Washington, too?
Imagine the excitement Ambassadress Francke evokes in the neocon mind.
In her own words, she is “a kernel,” part of the “nucleus of Iraq’s future political structure” which necessarily comes from what Francke curiously calls “the Diaspora” — otherwise known as Iraqi exiles living abroad. Or so she lectured the US Senate in July 2002, when she also testified that Iraqis would cheer invading US troops in the streets.
Only one US senator, Joe Biden, recognized Francke’s idea of “Iraq’s political structure” is simply an American “political
structure” — invented by Americans, run by Americans, and the best “Iraqis” to incidentally occupy this structure are, well, Americans.
But don’t take my word for it. Look directly at Ambassadress Francke’s testimony regarding “the Diaspora’s” plans after US troops did the fighting, killing, and dying part for them:
Francke: “I’m saying that this nuclear political structure should be prepared and enabled to take charge of immediate administrative and management needs of the country.”
Biden: “Can you explain what you mean by ‘prepared and enabled?’”
Francke: Would you like me to explain now or when I am done (reading)?”
Biden: “Whenever it’s convenient for you.”
Francke: “If I may at least finish this paragraph.”
Biden: “Please, oh, please. (T)he Iraqi National Congress (came) to see me not long ago (and) made the same statement to me that you’ve just made. You are suggesting that the US government work with members of the Iraqi National Congress here in the United States.”
Francke: “The ‘Iraqi Opposition.’”
Biden: “The Iraq — well, okay, there’s four different opposition groups that don’t fit into your little scheme, all four of them, but let’s assume...in addition to NGOs, in addition to American civilians who are helping set up the infrastructure and maintain it, you’re suggesting that there be an Iraqi in the ‘Diaspora’ who comes in who is named by us, as the person to run this police department, the water department, who is going to be commissioner of electricity. Is that the kind of thing you mean?”
Francke: “Senator, you are putting it rather starkly.”
But it is a stark picture.
Where is the new face of Iraq? One day it’s Chalabi. But British Chalabi could only cure his recent disgrace by morphing into an American woman.
Chalabi lives. In a pink power suit. And he’s getting his nails done at two.
— Sarah Whalen is an expert in Islamic law and taught law at Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana.
