US hands over sovereignty in Iraq

[Anjay]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3845517.stm

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/06/28/iraq.handover/index.html

http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=2510

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1140761,00.html


Just seen it on BBC World News. Also saw a topic over at WHT, and believe this place also needs a topic on it.

Finally, the Iraqi government now have power... however the soldiers are still planned to stay there until 2005, and possibly longer if the Iraqi government requests it.

What are your thoughts on all of this?

 

[BlackStorm]

I am glad the Iraqi government are now in charge but while the US soldiers stay there, there will always be more killing and attacks than if they weren't.

There are a lot of things very similar between the situation in Iraq and the recent past situation in Northern Ireland.
While the British soldiers were here, a lot more attacks were happening. The Irish didn't want the British soldiers in the North and it is the exact same in Iraq, they don't want the American soldiers there.

The Americans might think they are helping by having a presence there, but believe me, they will end up causing more harm than god, even in the long run.
They will constantly run into opposition so if they are planning that they will stay to 2005 simply because they think opposition will die down a bit by then, they are very mistaken. It is likely to get worse when they have their own government yet another country still wants to have their army there and roam their streets.

Because some of the American soldiers were caught to be doing very inhumane things to Iraqis, and they are working in cooperation with the country police, the police will now be seen as betrayers and more a part of the American occupation than their own people trying to improve the situation.
Again, it is the exact same in Northern Ireland now, the police are targeted all the time in attacks, I think this will continue for a very long time and I also believe the same will happen in Iraq.

 

[Anjay]

I am glad the Iraqi government are now in charge but while the US soldiers stay there, there will always be more killing and attacks than if they weren't.

Yes, that unfortunately is ver true. However, the problem is, there isn't really an Iraqi armed force. They're going to be training Iraqis, however until they actually have trained them - they really do need coalition forces there. On BBC World News, they did an interview with one of the Iraqi ministers, and he said the exact same.


Although... there are also quite a few differences in what Blair and Bush want to do. Blair, according to what he says, wants Iraq to have more power - and wishes to withdraw once Iraq actually have their own armed force. However Bush has said quite a few things which contradict this; so one wonders really...