03 September, 2010Iraq still far from sovereign: Experts
With the US combat mission officially at an end Iraq is a step closer to independence, but contrary to what its leaders proclaim the country is still far from sovereign, analysts say.
Seven years of occupation and two decades of UN sanctions that followed Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait have so disabled Iraq that it is still in great need of the United States, they say. “Iraq has for years been trying to recover its sovereignty,” said Hamid Fadel, who teaches political science at Baghdad University.
“The gradual withdrawal of the US army can be a step in this direction, but many obstacles remain in between,” he said.
For Ihsan Al Shammari, a political economist at Baghdad University, it is difficult to speak about Iraqi independence when 49,700 troops remain stationed in his country.
“The withdrawal was a commitment that (US President Barack) Obama intended to keep, and it was symbolic,” he said.
“When he announced the end of combat missions on Tuesday evening at the White House it felt like the speech was intended for Americans, not Iraqis,” Shammari added.
Aziz Jabr, a professor at Baghdad’s Mustansiriya University was of the same opinion, reflecting on Iraq’s weakness when compared against regional rivals.
“Iraq does not have a deterrent power vis-a-vis its neighbours - Iran, Turkey, Syria and Saudi Arabia,” he said, recalling comments by Iraq’s top army officer, Lieutenant General Babaker Zebari, who last month urged US troops to stay until 2020.
Gulf Today
