Topic: A Sovereign State

[Capt_Bearslayer_XC]

Congrats, Iraq.

Please make a better country for yourselves with it.

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1140761,00.html
IRAQ A SOVEREIGN STATE

Control of Iraq has been handed to a sovereign interim government after a surprise announcement that the transfer was being brought forward to today.


The transer of power from the US-led coalition was supposed to happen on June 30. 

But Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, said the deteriorating security situation in the country was one of the reasons why the date had been brought forward.                                         

It was feared guerillas would stage a major attack to derail the process.                               

Paul Bremer, head of the coalition provisional authority, presented the legal documents to prime minister Iyad Allawi at a ceremony in Baghdad before leaving the country two hours later.             

"This is a historical day," said Mr Iyad Allawi at the ceremony.                         

"We feel we are capable of controlling the security situation."                         

Mr Bremer said: "You have said, and we agreed, that you are ready for sovereignty. I will leave Iraq confident in its future."               

US President George Bush said the handover was "great news for the Iraqi people".

Insurgents have mounted a series of bloody attacks this month aimed at disrupting the handover, and several foreign hostages have also been seized.     

The biggest challenge to the government will be to restore security to the country and halt the attacks.

"We will challenge these elements in Iraq, the anti-democratic elements, by even bringing the handover of sovereignty before June 30 as a sign we are ready for it," Mr Zebari said.                         

"There are many Iraqis who are standing up to the challenge. We are here to seek more help and assistance, training and equipment."                                 

Mr Allawi said elections were likely to be held in January.                     

The interim government will have "full sovereignty", according to a UN Security Council resolution on the handover earlier this month.                                     

But there are important constraints on its powers.                                     

It is barred from making long-term policy decisions and will not have control over more than 160,000 foreign troops who will remain in Iraq.                                     

The government has the right to ask them to leave - but has made clear it has no intention of doing so.           

The US will also retain a large diplomatic presence with 1,000 diplomatic staff working at its embassy in the Green Zone in Baghdad.

[Abfalter]

This is a good step, but we won't really see much until January when they have their first elections.

The people of Iraq will see this gov't as, albiet Iraqi's, puppets of the US government.  They will still see soldiers in the streets. 

It won't be until after the election that they can really say that they have their own people in control. 

Smart move on their part having the transition by suprise a few days early --I'll bet there are a lot of angry ass-hat (er, terrorist --same thing) planners who woke up angry today that whatever neferious schemes that they were planning just got circumvented!

[RogueJedi_XC]

It won't last 6 months beyond the withdrawl of American troops...if even that long.
The Iraqi's did not earn their newfound liberty, it was given to them. They did not earn their sovereignty, it was given to them.

The only reason liberty and freedom has lasted so long in America is because we earned it with the blood and tears of generations. 

I give it two years at the most, and Iraq will be a theocratic puppet to Iran, led by someone like al Saddr...or worse.