Don't underestimate the ability of Ahmad Chalabi to play a major spoiler role, warns Toby Dodge in this Los Angeles Times article:

If Chalabi were left out of the interim government, he might work to undermine it, said Toby Dodge, an Iraq specialist at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London who testified before the Senate last week.

"He's either outside the tent and creating mischief, or inside and creating more legitimacy problems," Dodge said.

Chalabi has accumulated a great deal of authority over the banking industry in Iraq and has been spending money and trying to build political support by forging political alliances, Dodge said. "He is underestimated at everyone's expense."

The article also details the battle of wills between Chalabi and UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.

Meantime, Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel report for Knight Ridder, Chalabi's INC is being investigated for having misused some of the $18 million in US taxpayer funds they have received, by lobbying for US action to overthrow Hussein. In the crosshairs? Long-time Chalabi aide, Francis Brooke.

Posted by Laura at April 25, 2004 08:25 AM