Posted on: Thursday, June 10, 2004

EDITORIAL
Sovereignty: what Bush, U.N. say it is

Sovereignty, says the American Heritage Dictionary, is "complete independence and self-government," and Iraq, according to President Bush and now to a unanimous resolution from the U.N. Security Council, will enjoy full sovereignty after June 30.

The U.N. resolution is an important foreign policy achievement for the Bush administration, helping to repair alliances bent by the decision to go it nearly alone in Iraq a year ago.

It also is helpful in legitimizing a war after the fact that much of the world saw as contrary to international law.

There's no suggestion, however, that the resolution will bring any troops or treasure to Iraq from France, Germany, Russia or China.

Moreover, it's hard to envision "complete independence" for a country whose new interim government was chosen by a process heavily influenced by the outgoing American administrator, Paul Bremer, and U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.

Indeed, Iyad Allawi, the designated prime minister of Iraq, reportedly was involved, in the early 1990s at the behest of the CIA, in organizing bombings in Iraq that apparently killed civilians. Terrorism on behalf of the right side, it seems, makes one a freedom fighter.

And Iraq will host the largest American embassy in the world as well as some 160,000 foreign troops.

It's explained that Iraq can enjoy sovereignty even while under occupation because the foreign forces will be there at the invitation of the new government. The U.N. resolution says the government can order the troops to leave at any time, although Allawi predictably says it won't.

But the interim government has no veto power over such undertakings of the occupation forces as the controversial sieges of Fallujah and Najaf. The government will have the right to "close co-ordination and consultation" on such matters, the resolution says. Such measured sovereignty, we'd suggest, is like being a little bit pregnant.

At least until January 2006, when the American-led forces' mandate will expire, the United States will be Iraq's guest — but a guest that by dint of its military might and lavish spending will continue to call the shots in most important ways.

The U.N. resolution, plus the announced deactivation of nine militias, are glimmers of hope amid a situation on the ground in Iraq that remains truly grim.