Significant events in Iraq taking place

This past month many in the Iraqi parliament have finally decided to give PM Maliki a vote of no-confidence. Even al-Sadr has finally turned against Maliki, even though both of them are Shiite. In fact, it was al-Sadr who put Maliki over the top back in December 2010, allowing him to get the nomination.

But Maliki has not fulfilled his promises. Most important, he has refused to fill the last 3 cabinet positions--the most important ones--and has instead taken them for himself as a never-ending "interim" position. These positions make him head of the armed forces, the police, and security, making him a virtual dictator.

His dictatorial policies are now finally catching up to him. In late April he was given two weeks to fulfill his obligations. He failed to do this. So the main opposing heads of the other parties met and drew up more specific demands and gave him a week to fulfill these, otherwise they would recommend a vote of no-confidence.

That grace period has now ended. The party heads met yesterday or the day before to make their final decision. Maliki's response was to send 400 elite troops to surround al-Sadr's house in order to intimidate him. It was a hint that if al-Sadr tried to turn against him, he would bring him up on charges of treason.

This has served to put a permanent rift between Maliki and Sadr. The die has been cast, and there is little or no doubt that a no-confidence vote will take place. Maliki's only option now is to dissolve Parliament or do something stupid like having his enemies arrested to prevent the no-confidence resolution from being presented in Parliament.

Once a no-confidence vote is presented, it is said that the Constitution calls for a five-day interim before Maliki can actually be replaced.

The fight is on.

I have written for over two years that I believe Maliki is a type of the king (melek) of Babylon, Belshazzar, who was overthrown when Darius the Mede took Babylon in Daniel 5. I see the handwriting appearing on the wall. I hear his knees knocking and it smells like his loins are being loosed.

The Euphrates is being diverted to allow the Medes and Persians to take the city. We will soon see how much of my viewpoint is verified by actual events.