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Iraq Power Transfer Ahead of Schedule

Sekhmet

17:18 / 28.06.04

So the "transfer of power" that was supposed to happen on the 30th happened today instead, with little fanfare and almost no warning.

Any theories as to why this happened? Do you think it matters?

There is a rumor of a terrorist threat related to the ceremony everyone was expecting on Wednesday, which may have precluded the event and made an early resolution desirable; I haven't been able to find any confirmation of that.

misterpc

18:21 / 28.06.04

There's no doubt in my mind that it was "brought forward" in order to wrong-foot any planned attacks. It was a good decision in security terms, and probably in diplomatic terms - I imagine that Dubya broke the news at Istanbul, to his "key allies".

Quite amusingly, the new leaders of Iraq aren't exactly living up to the hopes of the US. The Defence Minister was quoted on CNN as saying that they would deal with insurgents by beheading them. So hold on... it's bad when they do it, but okay when you do it?

Another amusing moment - on receiving the note informing him that Iraq was sovereign, Bush scribbled on it, "Let Freedom Reign!" Uhh, unless the new Iraqi government declare martial law, eh, Dubya?

Having said all that, I wish the Iraqi people the best of luck.

ONLY NICE THINGS

20:42 / 28.06.04

Hmmm... there are mutterings about a state of emergency being declared... curfews have already been employed in some areas... possibly, along with the attempt to avoid massive terrorist attacks, the US are aware that hardcore emergency measures are going to have to be taken very soon, and that if they had still been in control when they were taken, the place woudl go up completely. In those terms, a bit of beheading might not exactly upset them too much.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

08:39 / 29.06.04

There was some interesting stuff about this on the World Service last night... lots of interviews with yer average man/woman on the street in Baghdad, with wildly differing opinions (a nice illustration of how bollox it is when Tony or George talk about "The Iraqi People" like they're some sort of crazy Islamic hive-mind or something)...
A lot of them seemed full of trepidation for the future- whether this is because of a lack of trust in the West (who've still got a shedload of troops there, don't forget), a lack of trust in the new rulers (many of whom, it was pointed out a couple of times, haven't even been IN the country for the last several years) or just an innate pessimism brought about by 30 years of living under a tyrant- is open to argument.

Meanwhile the bombings continue...

Jub

09:58 / 29.06.04

How long do you think it'll be before the new government manages to try and execute Sadam? I think his trial will be a good way to unite large swathes of the population.

flufeemunk effluvia

14:13 / 29.06.04

It only takes the brutal torture and execution of a hated dictator to bring a nation together! I love people.

Tryphena Absent

14:35 / 29.06.04

Last night on Newsnight Paxman said something along the lines of 'and we would like to hear what the ordinary people of Iraq feel about the handover.' Who precisely are these ordinary people? Religion? Gender? Do they have jobs? Are they in favour of the handover or against it? What kind of demographic are they talking about? Are the people who are blowing things up not ordinary? It was almost as pathetic as the Sally Jessy Raphael show.

misterpc

15:13 / 29.06.04

I guess Paxo was referring to the man on the Sha'ab Omnibus... I found that ordinary Iraqi people want the following:

a. Saddam gone. Done.
b. The Americans gone. Half-done.
c. Some peace and quiet. Nowhere near.

It's probably fair to say that most Iraqis favour whatever measures can be taken to get things back to 'normal' again, but there probably isn't a whole heap of consensus about what the appropriate measures are. I'm very happy with that, it's a good starting point for a democracy... possibly.

grant

15:39 / 29.06.04

Meanwhile, the Angry Arab News Service is referring to the new interim prime minister as a car bomber at pretty much every opportunity.

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