Handover of sovereignty in Iraq will take place Monday, two days before the June 30 deadline previously announced, diplomatic sources tell CNN. Details soon.
I'm glad that we're finally able to help restore Iraq back to a sovereign nation again (instead of an occupied nation). Hopefully this means that the local governments will have say over things such as the contractors that are working to build the infrastructure and that we're on our way to an election over there soon.
Also, this hopefully will give the government the power to crack down on the insurgents with more power than we were able to use.
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Hmm. Who retains control over oil production and exportation? Will we be able to keep Iraq from joining OPEC? Are Halliburton's bloated contracts being replaced by Iraqi companies, or are they already completed?
More to the point, what are Bush's motivations for doing this? I can see the use in declaring he set Iraq free earlier than he'd originally decided, but it's a shaky boasting point, and could backfire dramatically if Iraq erupts again.
Is the Iraqi governing council going to take charge? I think I heard something about resigning in disgust over their lack of any actual power, but I haven't been following current events with any real fervor for the past, heh, year or so.
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Hmm. I guess this could be interpreted as a response to the anger of American deaths in Iraq -- I remember the anxiety to train an Iraqi police force and send them out, untrained and underequipped, so that there'd be fewer American deaths and, by extension, less negative press.
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Given that the next few heads of government there will un doubtedly be assassinated as the last 5 have, I think Bush is doing this ASAP so the inevitable take-back of sovereignty won't be too close to the election. It also has the tone of a major initiative to have the coming assault against Fallujah seem more legitimate if ordered by the Iraqi puppet government.
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I'm pretty sure that Haliburton will continue to make money from selling the oil, but when I was thinking of the contractors, I was thinking back to the news stories I heard on NPR (the evil media that they are) about how people in some villages were happier when the coalition had the power to use (and pay well) the Iraqi contractors instead of the contractors later chosen by the US.
Aside from Bush wanting to wipe his hands clean of recent events, I've read alot of stories from the (now) current adminisration there that they have been chomping at the bit to take control for themselves. I can understand that, as I'm sure that we'd be the same way if another country were currently running our country (all 2000 election jokes aside )
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For the record, I'm not a Bush fan, but I have to admit this early turnover looks to be a very shrewd move - especially in terms of confounding whatever plans insurgents were making to coincide with the date.
Realizing with the news today that there were also additional lesser benefits - it coincided with Bush's attendance at the NATO conference and it also gave some competition to the news that Michael Moore's movie was the hit of the weekend.
But, as I said, the real benefit was moving the date that insurgents were planning around.
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quote:"Others are more controversial. On Saturday, Bremer signed an edict that gave U.S. and other Western civilian contractors immunity from Iraqi law while performing their jobs in Iraq. The idea outrages many Iraqis who said the law allows foreigners to act with impunity even after the occupation."
This is an interesting quote. I am not sure how this will stand now that the new government is in charge (albeit, until 1/31/05). I wonder why they did this, especially in light of concerns raised about activities of not only American troops but Contractors as well.
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I love you all dearly and have a high regard for such thoughts but...
There are no "but..."s .
Stop picking it all to pieces for a moment and just enjoy it. Today's the first day in a very long time that I've been able to watch the news without becoming very much saddened. It's nice to just be sobered for a change.
Aside from that, I do agree, though, that this a was a very shrewd move on Bush's part - It gains some small amount of favor on nearly all sides, prevents or at least deters any further resistance to the handover, (hopefully) gets our soldiers home a little faster or at least assures more normal deployments...
::sighs:: I simply wish that people would cease their fixation on a "democratic" government. Our system will not and can not work for everyone. What they should try for is a system that respects and promotes the Iraqi culture while providing stability and opportunity for growth - a little of the old, and a little of the new. The Iraqi culture does not allow for a political system of total democracy so why force one upon them when another, hybrid system would do far better for all involved?
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quote: Stop picking it all to pieces for a moment and just enjoy it.
Why? I don't necessarily enjoy it so I should I pretend to do so? The 6/30 date was clearly a line drawn in the sand to allow for a period of presidential campaigning without being the "occupying" force in Iraq. Now we are merely...er...there and occupying but...er...
Yes, it was shrewd to do it today for only one reason...the terrorists planning on making a fuss on 6/30 are going to have to do so without the joy of disrupting any ceremony. That's it. Was Iraq ready for it? They have had one leader assassinated after the other. Troops continue to be killed as a part of actions over there. Hostages are continually taken. Things are more unstable there than when we arrived...and this was the time to hand it off? The "good news" day will be when we don't have over 100,000 of our women and men over there. The Iraqi's might be at the wheel, but we still have gunmen in all the passenger seats telling the government where to turn. I like my good news days. SpaceShipOne was a good news day. I get good news everyday when I look for it. A subtle handshake and knowing grin isn't something to just sit back and bask in the glow of for me. I am not being snarky, but there are other, lighter threads to read if reading discussion around politics is upsetting.
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