U.S. seen making mistakes of past colonisers

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters11-25-035610.asp?reg=MIDEAST

BAGHDAD, Nov. 25 — U.S. efforts to give Iraqi Sunni Muslims more involvement in running the country in a bid to quell resistance in Sunni areas may just deepen resentment towards the occupying powers, analysts say.

''The main trick of any colonial power in the world is divide and rule. We know it: they are trying to divide us,'' said Wamid Nazmy, a politics professor at Baghdad University.

''Now the Americans and the British are speaking about Sunni grievances because there is resistance in the Sunni area, so they want to bring them into the cabinet or the ruling council just to satisfy them.''

The U.S.-led administration set up Iraq's Governing Council in July as a first step towards a sovereign government after U.S.-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein in April. The Council contains a majority of Shi'ites, Iraq's largest religious community which suffered decades of repression under Saddam.

But a growing insurgency, which has claimed 185 U.S. lives since May 1, has been concentrated in the Sunni heartland of the country and the coalition authorities have said the Council will now be ''reaching out'' more to Sunni Arabs.

Political analyst Saad Jawad said history was repeating itself. ''When the British came to Iraq in the First World War they made the mistake of giving power to the Sunni community,'' he said, noting the British soon faced rebellion.
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