US struggles with Iraq
2005-11-24 10:36
Baghdad - A torrent of bad news - rising soldier death tolls, suicide bombers, torture allegations - is riling America right now with the hard realities of Iraq.
Yet, after nearly three years and more than 2 000 American lives lost, there also was some hope this week. At a meeting in Cairo, Iraqis outlined what may prove the best - if uncertain - prospect for success: cutting a deal with former adversaries in hopes the country does not descend into civil war.
General George W Casey jun, the top United States commander in Iraq, hinted at such a formula a few months ago when he told an American audience that bringing disaffected groups into the political process "is ultimately how this conflict is going to be resolved."
That would mean a new Iraq in which some lesser figures from Saddam Hussein's old Iraq play a role.
Hope for the future
The emerging strategy - strongly pushed by the United States - may work. Sunni Arabs seem genuinely interested in voting in the December 15 elections rather than boycotting the polls as they did in January. Sunni Arab leaders are encouraging a big turnout, often at great personal risk.
If more Sunnis see a future for their community in a democratic Iraq, the level of violence may recede. And, Iraqi army and police forces could assume enough responsibility by late next year so a substantial number of American and other international troops could go home.
It's not that the situation in Iraq has necessarily gotten worse - it may be just that America's understanding of Iraq has gotten better.
Tensions among Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds - held mostly in check during Saddam's rule - are seemingly always on the boil these days. Politics is defined by loyalty to tribe, religion and ethnicity.
American commanders believe Iraqis are better than foreigners in identifying insurgents hidden among the population.
Since the Shi'ite-led government took power in April, hundreds of bodies have turned up in Baghdad and remote areas - hands bound and bullets in their head. The victims are both Sunnis and Shiites, slain in reprisal killings by extremists from both communities.
For months, Sunni Arabs have been accusing the Interior Ministry of wholesale arrests and abuse of Sunnis in an attempt to find a handful of rebels.
The discovery by US troops this month of up to 173 detainees - malnourished and some showing signs of torture - hidden in an Interior Ministry building in central Baghdad gave credence to those charges.
The keys to success are the December 15 election and a planned national reconciliation conference tentatively set for early next year in Iraq.
At the preparatory meeting in Cairo, Egypt, this week, Sunni Arabs insisted on recognising the right of resistance to foreign occupation - language that could legitimise the insurgency.
The Sunnis also made clear they want the new government to insist on a timetable for US withdrawal, which US President George W. Bush rejects.
The Sunnis ultimately accepted a watered-down version, which recognised that "resistance is a legitimate right for all people" but condemned terrorism and attacks against civilians.
- AP