Flurry of laws imposed on Iraq upsets leaders

Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. led-coalition, facing a Wednesday deadline to hand back power, has put in place major legal revisions that would force Iraqis to get drivers' licenses, obey traffic laws, ban certain people from holding office and place American contractors above the law.

Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish politician and member of the disbanded U.S.-picked Governing Council, said he thinks the Americans began pushing the flurry of laws once it became clear the occupation would be cut short. Washington's earlier plans, he said, called for a longer occupation that would have allowed Iraq's constitution to be written under U.S. watch.

Proponents say the sheaf of edicts signed by occupation chief L. Paul Bremer are the best way to ensure one of the top U.S. goals in invading Iraq: to leave behind a functioning democracy with a base of liberal institutions such as an independent judiciary, civil society and free market economy.

But critics say the Coalition Provisional Authority's flurry of laws amounts to meddling in Iraq's basic institutions, something that international law places out of bounds for an occupying power.

Especially irksome for Iraqi leaders is the fact that the occupier's edicts remain in force after the occupation ends - including laws that curtail the powers of the incoming government.

more…
http://www.marinij.com/Stories/0,1413,234~24410~2240317,00.html

Tell me again what is meant by "full sovereignty" if a country can't order its own affairs even after the invader leaves?

Of course, the practical nature of trying to enforce your edicts after you've left is such that the Iraqis could tell Bremer to take a flying Cheney at a rolling doughnut and the U.S. couldn't do Cheney all.

Ummm... where are all those troops of ours right now? Getting on planes to go home? I don't think so.... Bremer is just a mouthpiece for the Bush administration. After him, there will be the biggest embassy staff in the world. The U.S. hasn't left, and has no intention of leaving. Welcome to the world of doublespeak. We are turning over sovereignty, eh? We've given the Iraqis the car for the evening, but haven't given them the keys to the ignition....

Expect a whole lotta hot-wiring real soon.

Unless this new Iraqi government shakes the schackles of occupation, the insurgents will take them all down, one, by one. It's history repeating itself.

have to abide by all this bullshit in the first place? They are out (not really, but on paper and Bremer has flown the coupe) and Iraq was illegally invaded by the US and coalition of the billing/willing/ shilling.

I'm sure this is just too simple of a question to ask, but ask I must! I just don't see why they can't just say to hell with it all and create what they want from the ground up?! Surely, it can't get or be any worse than it already is?

:shrug:

Pardon my stupidity and please don't flame! Thanks! :hi:

thinks (or knows) they will have NOTHING left to be able to say no to the US (No arms, no good army, no national resources (privatized)...

should tell Bremer to take his edicts and go Cheney himself.

It's pretty simple. We are now "guests" of the Iraqi government. If he doesn't do what we want him to, we'll just let our guard down a bit: (***BOOM***) Next Prime Minister, please....and so on.

was filtering through the foreign press months ago.

Not to mention how all the departments are packed with American shills...

And the fact that the old Governing Council members managed to get into the new interim government....and the 100O strong assembly meeting in July was appointed by a committee which included....Chalabi!

1//The Daily Star, Lebanon Friday, June 25, 2004
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=5600

IRAQI’S GOVERNING COUNCIL GRANTS ITSELF NEW LEADERSHIP ROLE
Most members gain seats of power in new government

By Annia Ciezadlo
Special to The Daily Star

BAGHDAD: When the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council dissolved itself on June 1 - a month ahead of schedule - it seemed like it was all over for a body that Iraqis widely viewed as too close to the United States.

The future seemed especially dim for Ahmed Chalabi, whose office was raided only days earlier by US and Iraqi security forces investigating charges of kidnapping, corruption and robbery.

But even as the council's members gave up their seats, they were writing themselves a leading role in the interim government that takes power next week. In a little-noticed edict, the defunct council guaranteed itself seats on Iraq's Interim National Council, a 100-member assembly that will have power to approve the 2005 budget, veto executive orders with a two-thirds majority, and appoint replacements to the presidency.

The former council also guaranteed itself seats on a headspinning array of committees that will select other members of the new body.

"Essentially, the Iraqi Governing Council seems to have granted itself life after death," said Nathan Brown, a professor of political science at George Washington University in Washington.
As political players jockey for positions in the government, the selection process is being dominated by members of the former Governing Council - much to the chagrin of Iraqis who had hoped for a more homegrown leadership to emerge.

SNIP

In July, a national conference of about 1,000 people will meet. Modeled on Afghanistan's Loya Jirga, the conference will include people from all walks of life - tribal chiefs, women's groups, youth organizations, writers, poets and artists - who will choose the Interim National Council.
However, the conference is being planned by yet another body, the Supreme Commission. This commission, which will decide who attends the July conference, was supposed to include a broad range of people, including those chosen by UN Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to represent Iraqis outside the former Governing Council.

But the Supreme Commission has been dominated by former Governing Council members from the start: It was selected by a five-member committee, now disbanded, consisting of four former Governing Council members, including Chalabi, and chaired by the deputy of Jalal Talabani, another former council member.

MORE

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Yeah, right.

Freedom?

What's that?

Why would Iraq be "more free" than the grand ole' USofA?

So when does Iraq get their very own IPA (Iraqi Patriot Act)?

Exposing the lie of sovereignty.

:kick:

Contractors above the law? How democratic.

switch to view of wolfie slicking back his hair with spit-sucked comb