THE US, THE UN AND IRAQ VI

Gimme that ol' time autonomy...

The New York Times today reports that Iraqi political groups will be drafting a formal protest over the current plans of the US and UK to assume authority over Iraq indefinitely. The Boston Globe elaborated, saying that the INC may "try to establish an interim government within a few weeks, regardless of whether the United States supported such an effort..."
If you read the two articles carefully in tandem, it becomes clear that the Iraqi parties, particularly the INC (with the closest ties to the US), are trying to figure out how to obtain real power without throwing away their current leverage with the occupying powers. The question for the Iraqi parties is at what point do they no longer have anything to lose by breaking away from the process. Those closest to the US (and perhaps the most moderate) clearly can lose the most.
The US is apparently aware of this, as the same NYT article hints that the US may be "reserving an option to resume support for the swift formation of an Iraqi government if political developments in Iraq and the Middle East demand it." Hmmm. What sort of political developments might those be?
Problem: in the long run, if we end up looking like the Great Satan, after all (regardless of our perfectly good intentions, of course), we could well alienate even the most moderate Iraqi parties -- just like we did during the Iranian Revolution. But back then, the radicals won, and the moderates...were taken care of.
Finally, at the risk of going on too long, here's an interesting quote from a Reuters report from Yahoo regarding the resolution that's likely to get passed today:


Troubling to international law experts is the rewriting of the 1949 Geneva Conventions on the duties of occupying powers, such as the United States and Britain. They are not supposed to create a new permanent government or commit Iraq to long-term contracts, such as oil exploration, under the Geneva treaties.
"The United States is asking the Security Council to authorise it to do a series of things that would otherwise violate international law under the guise of ending sanctions," said Morton Halperin, a former State Department official and director of the Open Society Institute in Washington.


12/15/03 04:58
Now, about that interim authority...
The U.S., Britain and Spain presented a third draft of the resolution for lifting sanctions on Iraq --although The Guardian reports the US is trying to push it through in 48 hours. The current draft, says the Financial Times, is "close to its [the American] bottom line." Basically, we throw some bones to the U.N., buy off Russia, and drop "the open-ended grant of authority in favor of a requirement that the United States and Britain cede power when 'an internationally recognized, representative government is established.' " (NYT) Well, that's a relief.
Oh, and we do get to appoint our own auditors for monitoring Iraqi oil profits. We have a strong tradition of auditing our own interests here in America.
Where, you might ask, are the Iraqis in all of this? Well, 10,000 were on the streets of Baghdad protesting their lack of real power in the still amorphous and undefined interim authority. And key players among the Iraqi opposition groups are saying they won't play if the so-called authority doesn't have real control over the ministries. The Financial Times quotes Hoshyar Zebari, of the Kurdistan Democratic party, as saying that if the US doesn't empower the Iraqi political parties, they will not participate, and, instead, "seek local power 'on their own turf'," a sentiment echoed by Kasim Sahlani, head of the political bureau of the Da'awa party.
Given the fact that the Washington Post reports a marked increase in vigilante justice in Baghdad, and yesterday's sharp spike in violence between Kurds and Arabs in the north (Boston Globe), these signs do not bode well. We know that President Bush doesn't like basing policy on focus groups, but let's hope the US can sense a pending civil war when the signs start peeking out.
12/15/03 04:58

Your point is well taken, c.i. But it would not serve women at all if Islamic law was the basis for Iraqi law. The fundamentalists and clerics have solid reasons why they want Islamic law in place, including keeping women in their "proper" places.

c.i., sumac, ge...

This was so absolutely predictable. Our government will not allow the Iraq they have bought with political capital and blood (note the order of pain here...) to be co-opted by Islamic fundamentalists. We still think that we can overlay democracy on a country that culturally and ethnically is anima-adverse to freedom as we know it. Development of democracy in Iraq could take years.

Brigadier-General Mark Kimmitt, the US army's deputy chief of operations in Iraq, said it appeared that the insurgents killed or captured in the attack were all Iraqi citizens, but he added that this was not a final conclusion. A number of Iraqis are now being questioned in connection with the attacks.

The finding overshadowed recent efforts by the US to pin the blame for a series of suicide bombings and other attacks on foreign Islamic militants linked to al-Qa'ida. Last week the US released what it said was a letter from a leading militant in Iraq to al-Qa'ida leaders, asking for help in provoking a civil war between Sunni and Shia Muslims in Iraq. If yesterday's report is true, the US has enough to worry about from Iraq's home-grown resistance.

Published on Monday, February 16, 2004 by CommonDreams.org
9/11 Families Valentines Letter to President Bush
by Colleen Kelly, David Potorti and Kelly Campbell


February 14, 2004

Dear President Bush,

Two years ago today, family members of 9/11 victims lost at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on Flight 93 launched a group called September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. We chose Valentine¹s Day as a symbolic reminder that the American ideals of peace, justice and reconciliation remain vibrant, and did not die with our loved ones.

On that day, we held up a large heart containing a valentine letter to you. In the letter we asked to meet with you to discuss the creation of a fund to assist innocent victims of war in Afghanistan. We felt that it was not only a decent and moral response to those accidental deaths, but also a practical opportunity to demonstrate the same compassion that 9/11 family members received from all over the globe.

You chose not to meet with us, but since that day two years ago, the members of Peaceful Tomorrows have worked to display the best of America's ideals to the rest of the world. We secured congressional funding to assist Afghan civilians affected by the war. We connected with others around the world who have been similarly affected by terrorism and war. We stood with millions across the globe against the war in Iraq and for the cause of peace. And our group has grown as more 9/11 family members have found healing by turning their grief into action for peace. In contrast, you declared it was an 'us versus them' world, and pursued unilateral and unpopular policies that turned that world against the United States and made us less secure. And worst of all, you often used the deaths of our family members as an excuse to pursue that agenda.

Two years later, we ask you to stop exploiting the tragedy of September 11 for political gain and to join us in responding to that tragic day in a manner that brings about genuine healing and peace for Americans and the rest of the world.

We respectfully request a written response to the following questions:

1. You and members of your administration consistently invoked 9/11 as a justification for war in Iraq, without presenting any evidence of a link between Saddam Hussein¹s Iraq and the attacks of that day. The confusing and misleading statements made by your administration that allude to an unproven link have caused a majority of the US public, (up to 70% according to a Washington Post poll taken in September 2003) to believe that Saddam Hussein was responsible for September 11.You have exploited the American public's genuine fear of another September 11 to pursue an unrelated war, which has already cost the lives of more than 500 US service people and an estimated 10,000 Iraqi civilians. We call upon you today to publicly acknowledge that your administration's statements have misled the American people, and to clarify that there is no evidence of a connection between the events of 9/11 and Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Please, Mr. President, will you correct this dangerous misperception?

2. In light of your announcement that the United States plans to step up the campaign to find Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan, we ask that you cease the tactic of bombing villages in an attempt to kill Bin Laden or other suspected Al Qaeda or Taliban leaders. In the past two years these village bombings have killed and injured countless innocent civilians, including children, while failing to achieve their stated aim. Since the beginning of 2003, media reports confirm that more than 64 civilians have been killed in at least six separate incidents of village bombings. Meanwhile, most top Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders have been captured through international cooperation, intelligence sharing, and police work, not the bombing of villagers. No one desires Bin Laden to be arrested and stand trial more than we do. Yet through continued bombing of innocent civilians, you have increased anti-American sentiment and created legions of potential future terrorists. We beg you, Mr. President, will you direct the military to cease the tactic of bombing villages in Afghanistan, and choose more effective methods to capture the criminals responsible for our loved ones deaths?

3. We ask you to stop playing politics with the 9/11 attacks. September 11 was many things, but it was a victory for no one but the terrorists. When your administration treats it like a success story and your political party uses the World Trade Center site as the backdrop for the Republican convention this fall, we are offended. We have witnessed the photograph of you on the telephone on September 11 sold by your campaign as a fundraising vehicle. We have read Republican party officials' acknowledgement that the national convention was planned in New York City at the latest possible date in order to 'flow seamlessly into the commemoration of 9/11.' And we have witnessed your administration's lack of cooperation with the Independent Commission investigating 9/11. On November 27, 2002, you stated, "the investigation should carefully examine all the evidence and follow all the facts, wherever they lead. We must uncover every detail and learn every lesson of September the 11th. It's our most solemn duty."We ask you today live up to that promise. As president of the United States, you well know that our nation's future is more important than any one person¹s political career. We ask you, Mr. President, will you renounce the exploitation of September 11th for partisan political gain?

You claim that September 11th made you a war president. But this is not true. By responding to the terrorism of 9/11 with an unending 'war on terror,'and a doctrine of pre-emptive war, you and your administration chose this path. After September 11, the entire world reached out to the United States with compassion. Rather than building on that good will and ushering the world into a new era of mutual cooperation, an effort that would have required true statesmanship and a willingness to deal honestly with the root causes of terrorism, you appealed to our fears and to the worst in human kind. Your domestic and foreign policies have reduced our nation's leadership, leaving us less secure, less free, less respected and less able to deal effectively with the genuine threat of 21st century terrorism.

This Valentine's Day, two years after the creation of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, we call on you to open your heart, take accountability for your actions, and act now to set our nation on the path of real peace. This is the way to truly honor those who died on September 11 and who continue to live in our hearts. We look forward to your timely answers to our inquiries.

Sincerely,

September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows

Nice link and quote, ge.