America's readiness to establish the first stages of a civil administration to run post-war Iraq comes at lightning speed and constitutes a rebuff to European ambitions to stall on the process until some kind of role for the United Nations is agreed.
It was reported yesterday that the National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice has also ruled out any key role for the UN.
The decision to proceed with an embryonic government comes in response to memoranda written by Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last week, urging that the US begin to entrench its authority in areas under its control before the war is over.
Pentagon officials told The Observer that the administration is determined to impose the Rumsfeld plan and sees no use for a UN role, describing the international body as 'irrelevant'.
The United Nations wanted to hold that oil for food money hostage, but it doesn't seem to matter to the administration.
Rumsfeld presented two memoranda to the White House last week, urging the President to begin setting up government institutions in areas under US control. He said the new organs could install Iraqis returning from exile under the tutelage of American civilians answerable to General Garner.
But his plan has been opposed even within the administration. Colin Powell is known to favour a military government established after victory is assured, prepared to nurture an Iraqi government centred around citizens resident in Iraq, rather than exiles sponsored by neo-conservatives in the Pentagon.
This is a good question. Do you go with the exiled leaders or the folks that are still living in Iraq? I think Rumsfeld is right. The exiles are going to be more western in their thought and are more likely to be antagonistic to the bordering states of Iran and Syria. The Pentagon can do a much better job of choosing than leaving it up to chance. Once a new government is established and the citizens understand the changes, they will be ready for the experiment in democracy.
Powell’s idea would be fine if we thought that they could be ready for democracy right away, but very few of them even understand the concept. Not only have they been in virtual slavery for decades, democracy is contrary to the ideas of traditional Islam. It will take time to make them into a free country, and we might fail that part of it. But very few governments could be worse than the one we are about to replace.
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