Although the Western media are mostly happy to present the
Governing Council as a step towards Iraqi self-rule, Bremer
himself has made no bones about its true purpose, saying
that "the governing council will be able to make statements
that could be seen as more binding and the trick will be to
figure out how to do this." In other words, the US hopes the
council will legitimise decisions that are politically
unacceptable directly from the occupying authorities.
Nonetheless, the council itself now becomes a political factor
that the US has to deal with. Its widely-publicised first
decision, to create a public holiday to celebrate the fall of
Saddam Hussein, was only made after it rejected a US call for
a resolution thanking George Bush for invading; it is perhaps a
sign of the US’s political naivety that such a resolution was
even proposed.
The governing council may have little independence, but then
neither do the governing institutions of virtually any other
Muslim country. What it may prove to be, because the US has
had to accept representatives from groups like SCIRI and the
Dawa Party, is a framework through which Iraqi leaders of
various kinds can try to exert their will on Iraq’s affairs, and
try to obstruct the US agenda. The US has plans for Iraq, but
it cannot expect the Iraqis to co-operate. However it may try
to consolidate its control, it can expect opposition from
virtually all Iraqis. Despite its military domination, the US may
find it is a long way from controlling the country politically,
and that its problems will increase.
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