Iraqi People Being Scammed Into Becoming US Colony
On Jan. 13, 2008, I wrote about the legislative situation in Iraq and the continued occupation of US forces in violation of the Iraqi constitution in “Iraq Wants the US to Leave.” At that time, the US had circumvented the Iraqi constitution by seeking the extension of the occupation before the UN without Iraqi parliament’s approval. With the assistance of US-appointed Prime Minister al-Maliki, the Bush administration was able to silence the voice of the Parliament, which had already voted for strict timetables and was unlikely to extend the occupation. This all takes place in a political climate in which 7-in-10 Iraqis believe the “surge” has made security worse, where half of Iraqis want the US to leave immediately, and where 6-in-10 Iraqi’s believe that attacks on coalition forces are “acceptable.”
Since then, the US has apparently been seeking a resolution to this tension, as the process of seeking UN approval for the occupation is a politically tenuous one over time. Instead, the US sought to reach a “Status of Forces Agreement” (SOFA) directly with Iraq - eliminating the need to continually renew the occupation.
Here again, the Iraqi parliament prepared to make its stand. After much political pressure, in April of 2008, al-Maliki made the concession “that the agreement must be approved by Parliament before it becomes law.”
Yet this was politically infeasible for the US.
“The Iraqi Parliament won’t pass any agreement without a clear timetable for withdrawal,” Jarrar [Iraq consultant for the American Friends Service Committee] told Truthout, adding that the Maliki administration has openly stated it would like to retain US troops in Iraq for ten years. “I don’t think there’s a way to reconcile the two sides.”
However, according to Jarrar, there’s a good chance that Parliament’s fiery opposition will prove for naught: Maliki may well rescind his promise to consult the legislature on the agreement. The Iraqi administration’s concession came on the heels of “extreme pressure” from Parliamentarians, who have been insisting that he commit to consulting them, according to Jarrar. Yet the administration’s word is not quite golden. Last year, Maliki said he’d seek Parliament’s approval before agreeing to a renewal of the UN mandate allowing US forces in Iraq, but promptly went back on his promise as the deadline loomed. What’s more, the prime minister is certainly not a strict constitutionalist. Last week, he threatened to disenfranchise supporters of Iraqi nationalist leader Moqtada al-Sadr.
There is little hope that the SOFA will be subjected to parliamentary approval if resistance exists. Domestically, the Bush administration is attempting to classify SOFA as an “agreement” rather than a “treaty” to bypass an otherwise required Senate vote (watch Lindsay Graham champion this), and the Iraqi parliament has already shown its irrelevance when opposing US policy.
What is most disturbing are the conditions of the SOFA agreement, which is now in its final stages of negotiation.
- Article I - Allows US Military to carry out operations in Iraq at any place and time
- Article II - US and British troops can arrest suspects at any time without the consent of the Iraqi government
- Article III - Sets an indefinite time limit for the presence of US forces, thereby annulling the UN anti-occupation resolution which otherwise requires annual renewal of military presence.
- Article IV - Americans, whether service or non-service personnel, are immune from prosecution or other attendance at any Iraqi court hearings.
- Article VI - Allows the US to set up 41 military bases in Iraq.
- Article VII - Places Iraqi ministries of defense, interior, and intelligence under direct supervision of US officials.
- Article VIII - Grants US forces supervisory authority over all arms sales and training of Iraqi military or police forces.
- Article IX - Argues that as a member of the international community, Iraq must recognize Israel and support US policies in the Middle East.
This agreement will become the roughly the 54th such agreement between the US and those countries we occupy.
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