Sunday, June 27, 2004

Will restored Iraqi sovereignty hold?
Within the next few days the fragile interim government now in place in Iraq will become the official sovereign Iraqi government. As the United Nations debates various aspects of how to manage Iraq’s immediate future, terms like “the march toward democracy and freedom” are frequently heard. At the same time, figures such as Moqtada al Sadr and his militia in Karbala aren’t likely to be cooperative partners in such a march. Other players will also undoubtedly emerge to make their bids for power as well, wreaking as much havoc along the way as they can. Armed forces – ours, theirs, the U.N.’s or perhaps NATO – will have to provide security for the country for the foreseeable future, and soldiers and civilians will continue to die. While the United States and Britain seek to bow out as gracefully as possible, leaving a hopefully trained Iraqi army and police force in their place, can the coalition partners do enough damage control now to find, months or years down the road, a stable and functioning democracy in Iraq?

By Robert Parker at 10:11 PM | Permalink
Category: Foreign Policy | Comments (0)