Any Iraqi deal with America can wait for Bush's successor to take office

By The Daily Star http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&article_id=97035&categ_id=17

Friday, October 24, 2008

Editorial

US officials have tried to bully Iraqi leaders into accepting a controversial agreement that would govern the presence of American troops in the country until 2011. They have warned that failure to conclude the deal would have disastrous consequences and might bring about a reversal of the security gains that the country has witnessed in recent months. But the Iraqis would be better off to ignore these hysterical warnings and simply refuse to negotiate any deal with US President George W. Bush.

First, the danger of not signing the deal has been wildly exaggerated, because the Iraqis would in all likelihood be able to convince the Security Council to extend the current United Nations resolution that authorizes the foreign military presence in the country. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has already said that his country would support such a request from Iraq, and the Chinese and other Security Council members have no reason to oppose it. Likewise, the Americans would be forced to approve of the extension, lest they find themselves in the uncomfortable position of being recognized by the world body as illegal occupiers.

Second, the Bush administration has shown colossal incompetence at virtually every step of the way through its Iraq misadventure, and there is little reason to believe that they are showing better judgement at this juncture. Are we to believe that the same team that sparked an insurgency by disbanding the national army, excused the plundering of Iraq's archeological treasures by saying "stuff happens" and brought us horrors such as Abu Ghraib is now skillfully looking out for the interests of the Iraqi people?

The Iraqis would be wise to err on the side of caution and simply wait for this administration to leave office before concluding a direct pact with the Americans. By refusing to grant Bush a deal, they will send a strong signal that Iraq is a sovereign nation that cannot be bullied into submission. And they may also be able to negotiate a less controversial pact with the next American president, who will hopefully show better judgement - and more regard for the lives and dignity of the Iraqi people.