I’m unnerved by the presence of Iranians helping to broker some kind of deal with al Sadr, but heartened by the fact that the extremist revolt in Fallujah seems to have been quelled – largely by Marine force and by moderate Shiite realism. That’s a good combo. Brahimi also seems to have come up with a “sketch” for transition to sovereignty. We’ll see what that entails, but, according to Burns, it means an end to the U.S. sponsored Governing Council. Could this be the beginning of an Iran-friendly Shiite-dominated government? I certainly hope not. But this was encouraging:
Mr. Brahimi suggested that some of the Governing Council’s 25 members could be appointed to other government jobs, and that the transitional government might be formed from scratch, “led by a prime minister and comprising Iraqi men and women known for their honesty, integrity and competence.” Many Iraqis dismiss the council as unrepresentative, or too closely identified with the occupiers. Mr. Brahimi also spoke of holding “a large national conference,” possibly as early as July this year, to promote “national dialogue, consensus-building and national reconciliation,” and said it should elect a consultative assembly to work with the transitional government.
It seems clear to me that indigenous forces have to construct the new government. It is not a loss for the U.S. to cede control in this way. It is what we are looking for. If the U.N. can help, great. But if Iran assumes too powerful a role, then we should be extremely wary. Coalition forces are still the only reason the country isn’t in complete chaos. We should use that leverage. But subtly.
The Dish 