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"...even the wicked get worse than they deserve." - Willa Cather, One of Ours

Monday, June 28, 2004

U.S. Hands Power to Iraqis Two Days Early

Associated Press
The U.S.-led coalition transferred sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government two days early Monday in a surprise move that apparently caught insurgents off guard, averting a feared campaign of attacks to sabotage the historic step toward self-rule.

Legal documents transferring sovereignty were handed over by U.S. governor L. Paul Bremer to chief justice Midhat al-Mahmood in a small ceremony in the heavily guarded Green Zone. Bremer took charge in Iraq about a year ago.

"This is a historical day ... a day that all Iraqis have been looking forward to," said Iraqi President Ghazi Al-Yawer. "This is a day we are going to take our country back into the international forum."...
This was a very good idea. There was no reason to hold on for a set day since the transfers of authority that were going to be done were mostly completed.

All the pundits are talking about the security issue, or lack thereof, as being the central problem in Iraq. This is fundamentally incorrect. While security is clearly a very serious problem, the insurgents are in fact not a serious threat to success of the new Iraqi government. The obstacles to the government are all primarily political problems. These are the issues that need the highest priority.

The things the new government needs to focus on are: the census, the procedures for the upcoming elections, encouraging the political parties to begin organizing and promoting candidates, and the transparent prosecutions of officials from the old regime.

If these issues are address in a vigorous manner than the security issue will eventually take care of itself. To focus on the security issues while avoiding political reform is a certain recipe for disaster.
Posted by: Zayphar / 6/28/2004 08:37:00 AM
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