Monday, November 10, 2008
News from Iraq
There are two stories from Iraq today. First, the government Iraq has taken over the heretofore American responsibility of paying the Sunni militias that arose to fight al Qaeda in the "Awakening." According to the linked account, there is still mistrust between the Sunnis and the Shiite-controlled government, but the money is flowing.
Second, the government of Iraq is still negotiating the security agreement that will allow the United States military to remain in the country for the next three years.
Iraq's government spokesman said Monday the proposed U.S. changes to a draft security agreement were "not enough" and asked Washington to offer new amendments if it wants the pact to win parliamentary approval.
The comments by spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh were the first by the Iraqis since the U.S. submitted a response last week to an Iraqi request for changes in the draft agreement, which would keep U.S. troops here until 2012 and give Iraq a greater role in the management of the U.S. mission.
Al-Dabbagh said his remarks constituted the government response, but it had not been officially conveyed to the Americans.
Commentary
Several things might be said about these stories, including that they seem related. I claim no special knowledge or expertise, but this much seems obvious: The Iraqi government, which is trying to decide how little American security is enough, needs to demonstrate to the Sunni militias and its own supporters alike that it can keep the country together without a big-footed American military presence. In other words, the Maliki government improves the credibility of its own negotiating position versus the United States by taking concrete steps to reassure the Awakening tribes, which in turn is in the best interests of the United States. It almost looks as though we have been smart about this.
It also seems that the ultimate objective of the "surge," political reconciliation, appears to be continuing apace and has even been accelerated by the need to negotiate a new security agreement. In the United States, both supporters and opponents of Barack Obama's plan for a rapid withdrawal can claim some validation. Supporters can argue with at least some plausibility that the dynamic around an American withdrawal is forcing the government of Iraq to take responsibility for internal security, including the integration of the Awakening militias. Stay-the-coursers who supported the Bush/McCain policy will say in response that it was only the need for Iraq to negotiate a new security agreement with the United States that drove the government to reach out to the Sunnis. If we pulled our troops out unilaterally, there would have been no negotiation and therefore no choice for the government of Iraq to make.
Finally, is there anybody left who believes that the government of Iraq is a puppet of the United States? The improved security under the Petraeus plan has strengthened the government of Iraq not only within its own jurisdiction but in its negotiations with the United States. While we were all looking elsewhere, a real country grew up in occupied Mesopotamia.
3 Comments:
By 
grl, at
Tue Nov 11, 01:28:00 AM:
Rebellious children who want to do it themselves with no interference...
Good parenting...
By Noocyte, at
Tue Nov 11, 12:32:00 PM:
Indeed, grl. Just yesterday, I was having a conversation with an acquaintance, in which she spouted the usual "they don't even want us there" canard. I pointed out that A)a true puppet regime would never make such wishes known; and B) that Arab pride would never permit the frank acknowledgment of the need of outsiders to secure their country (even --or especially-- if such a need were privately understood).
Unfortunately, I was not able to get past the dripping anti-Muslim bigotry (she is a Hindu) which would not permit her to entertain the notion that democracy could actually take root in a Muslim country...even in the face of quite compelling evidence that we are witnessing just that.
By 
, at
Wed Nov 12, 02:12:00 PM:
Finally, is there anybody left who believes that the government of Iraq is a puppet of the United States?
Probably fewer than the number who persist in believing it to be a Trojan horse representative of Iran's.
