Iraq: Liberated at Last?
The drawback of American troops from major cities is a promising development, but I would not get too excited.
The Iraqi government proclaimed it ‘National Sovereignty Day’ and partied like it was God’s birthday. The manufacturing of national holidays propagated with contrived symbolic meaning is eerily familiar.
Still, if anything, this occasion gives Iraqis something to celebrate. And God knows they need something. Bankrupt American policies such as the crushing sanctions — with United Nations complicity — since 1990, and the heartless invasion, added more misery to the tyrannical governance for the Saddam Hussein regime.
However, it is too soon to celebrate too much. Withdrawal plans ahead, framing it as a full withdrawal by the end of 2011, are less a liberation of Iraq from American control than they are a ‘de-surge,’ a redeployment of less troops, or ‘advisers,’ to maintain control over Iraq. While 130,000 remain now, after the full withdrawal, tens of thousands will likely stay behind (though the government is vague about the number).
While even Defense Secretary Gates expects isolated acts of violence as troops are moved around, the temptation by Americans to keep its hand in Iraq would back-fire over the long-haul. Iraq, unlike Saudi Arabia, will not tolerate an embedded American hand for too long.
With the American right waiting for any hint of policy failure, the Obama administration will likely play it safe by overplaying the American presence of Iraq. While that may give short-term political benefits, it will not survive, as no country can sacrifice its sovereignty for long without major destabilization.
