Bill's Comment Page

Can the US/UK coalition stop Iraqi politics spiralling out of control?

The murder today of two Iraqi clerics brings to mind why, in my view, the 1991 Gulf conflict ended when it did, rather than continuing on until Saddam Hussein could be removed – a fear of the ‘anarchy’ that might have followed the power vacuum created on his removal. Equally indicative is a suicide bombing today in Baghdad which has killed a number of US marines.

We now seem to be seeing just such a power vacuum developing. Very quickly the US/UK authorities must try to ensure that civil order is restored. Whilst it seems that the bulk of the looting in al-Basrah and Baghdad has been confined to offices and homes of the former government and its personnel, it seems clearly necessary to me that this ‘energy’ be channelled, and quickly, into rather more productive activities. A police force of some kind seems an urgent requirement.

I have been a strong supporter of the recent action to remove Saddam Hussein from power, and whilst there were one or two relatively minor problems along the way the objective has been achieved remarkably quickly and with only minimal loss of human life. Of course the loss of one life is too many, but it would perhaps have been unrealistic to wish for quite such a favourable outcome. However, there do seem to be a number of ‘factions’ within the US administration, each promoting its own candidates from amongst Iraqis, inside and outside Iraq, for a role in the future interim government of Iraq. Whilst this debate is going on, quite normal in a democracy such as the US, the US/UK military forces are presumably not permitted to go beyond their main role of liberating the country to ensure some degree of civil order. Quite apart from probably not having the bodies to do the job in a territory as large as Iraq, not all of which is [yet] under their nominal control, they very probably do not have the skills (for example, language) or perhaps the training to do it effectively. At the very least, though, Iraqis whom the US/UK authorities have already encouraged to return to the country (or who have been in Iraq), with the objective of being involved in discussions to create an interim government, need to be given adequate protection to try and ensure that there are no more assassinations such as occurred earlier today.