Commentary:
Masters and deputies
As US forces train Iraqis to secure the occupation, action is needed to push the Americans out, writes Amin Howeidi*
The region's map is faded, full of shaded parts and blurry zones. Iraq is a case in point, a country with a sad present and a dubious future, a country enveloped by smoke, torn by booby-trapped cars. The little information that filters out of that country is contradictory and questionable. Facts are subsumed by prejudice in a United States media bent on confusing terror with legitimate resistance.
An Iraqi friend I knew since I was ambassador to that country half a century ago is here for a visit. He tells stories of overflowing sewage, electricity that lasts for three hours a day, gasoline shortages and radioactive pollution. He tells of a country with no jobs, no construction, no security, no water, no peace, but garbage, dead bodies and fire everywhere. The US Embassy in Baghdad, he says, has just rented the republican palace for two years, for it needed a bigger place to make its personnel more comfortable. What a disgrace.
Iraqis are in a living hell. President George W Bush did not bring the paradise he'd promised, or even peace, but he's telling everyone how the wind of democracy is blowing across the country. Iraqis disagree; many saying that Saddam's days were better, and safer. Iraqis have held elections under occupation, and couldn't but bring to power those who support the occupation.
A Congressional report notes that terrorist attacks tripled in 2004 in comparison with 2003. Troops have been deployed and billions have been spent, and yet hatred towards America -- and other countries that supported the war -- is on the rise. A report sent by the Pentagon to the Armed Forces Committee of the US Senate and House Committees on 10 May 2005 states that US forces have lost 97 M1 tanks, 294 Hummer vehicles and 51 helicopters, at a time when the resistance has obtained new weapons, including armour- piercing rocket and infra-red launchers.
The US public is changing its mind fast about the war. With 1,700 American soldiers killed, 12,000 wounded, and $200 billion spent, even formerly staunch supporters of the war, the likes of Rep Walter Jones, are currently pushing for a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops, an effort that is likely to gain force as time goes by.
The US administration has so far received three painful blows. Its reasons for invading Iraq have been proved false. Its war coalition has dwindled from 32 to 21, with countries under the pressure of resistance and domestic public opinion. And Amnesty International has classified it as a major threat to human rights.
To diffuse the pressure, President Bush has taken a number of measures. Convinced that a military solution is not enough to address the situation, the US president has endorsed talks with the resistance. And he has ordered the US military to accelerate plans to hand over security responsibilities to the Iraqis. According to Jane's Defence Weekly, General George Casey, commander of the multinational force in Iraq, has ordered his troops to pass on security responsibilities to Iraqis by December 2005, a step that would allow the Americans to reduce their presence in Iraq, an obvious need in view of the fact that the Pentagon is having difficulties hiring new recruits.
The current US plan is of three stages. The first stage began on 15 April and is expected to end by August. It involves training of Iraqi army forces to allow them to carry out joint operations with US forces. Several operations have already been mounted jointly, including those of Falluja, Matador, Dagger and Spear. In the second stage, ending in October, every Iraqi battalion will be supported by two US platoons for further training. The third stage is expected to end by December, and it involves three US military experts assigned to each Iraqi battalion to ensure that local forces are capable of carrying out all necessary tasks. At which point, US forces will have more time to train more Iraqi troops, with US platoons standing by for rapid deployment as needed.
In other words, the Americans are training the Iraqi army and police to guard the US occupation, just as Sharon wants the Palestinians to provide security to the Israelis. It would be wrong to assume that President Bush is going to pull out his troops from Iraq without overwhelming public pressure coming to bear on his administration, something of the scale seen regarding Vietnam. So far, the outcry against the war in the US has been growing steadily. A conference for Iraqi nationalists against occupation is expected to convene soon in Beirut. This and similar actions may help accelerate a US pullout from Iraq.
* The writer is former minister of defence and chief of the Egyptian general intelligence.
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/753/re8.htm