|
If violence in Iraq is quelled, then what? We need
to plan now for partition
2.3.2007
By Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison |
|
|
|
March 2, 2007
America and its allies have fought valiantly for
four years to establish a stable democracy among
Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds in Iraq. It has proven to
be a task not achievable in a short period.
President Bush and the American people realize that
a new approach is necessary. As the president's plan
is implemented, I believe it is important to look
beyond the immediate goal of stopping the violence.
Thinking about the next step is not premature - it
is essential.
If the heroic warriors whom we have deployed to Iraq
in defense of America are able to contain the
murderous mix of terrorists, criminals, insurgents,
jihadists and militia, we must seize that hard-won
opportunity and move forward with a new initiative
that uses existing authority in the Iraqi
constitution.
Such a plan would create at least three separate,
semiautonomous regions in which local law
enforcement, commerce, security and education would
be managed by local authorities. A limited central
government would be responsible for ensuring an
equitable division of oil revenue, conducting
foreign policy and protecting national security. In
fact, the Iraqi cabinet has recently approved a
draft of new legislation that would allow the
distribution of oil revenue to individual regions
based on population.
Henry Kissinger, in a recent appearance before the
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said: "I'm
sympathetic to an outcome that permits large
regional autonomy. In fact, I think it is very
likely that this will emerge out of the conflict
that we are now witnessing."
The report of the Iraq Study Group, while not
endorsing such a plan, noted that devolution into
three semiautonomous regions is a "possible
consequence" of continued instability and outlined a
potential U.S. response if "events were to move
irreversibly in this direction."
My Senate colleague Joseph Biden has spoken in favor
of the semiautonomous region concept, although he
has linked it to a withdrawal of almost all U.S.
forces by the end of this year, a move that I
believe would lead inevitably to renewed bloodshed
and chaos.
Our efforts in the Balkans a little over a decade
ago are instructive. The Dayton Peace Accords not
only ended a war that cost 200,000 lives in ethnic
strife, it also created the state of Bosnia and
Herzegovina within which two semiautonomous regions
were established - one with a Muslim majority, the
other Serb dominated - both with broad powers of
governance and operating under a central government
with limited authority.
Last fall, the Iraqi parliament approved a law
establishing the mechanism to create
semi-independent regions. Kurdistan, in the north,
is recognized specifically in the constitution as a
self-governing region. The south is predominately
Shiite. The majority of Sunnis are in the central
and western parts of the country, intermixed with
Shiites. Smaller subregions should be an option
here.
An international peacekeeping force would need to be
used. Much as the long-term success in Bosnia has
depended on the involvement of peacekeeping efforts
by NATO and the European Union, long-term success in
Iraq will require the involvement of many nations.
Regional neighbors with a large stake in a peaceful
outcome could make a major contribution to a
successful transition in Iraq.
The first, and most important, step in extending an
initial period of stability is to recognize the
cultural and sectarian divisions that have existed
for 14 centuries. It is clear that loyalty to
region, tribe, sect and religion will take
precedence over loyalty to a central government for
many years to come.
Why not accept that as fact and propose a plan that
does not attempt to change the culture but instead
acknowledges it?
Such a plan would secure a loosely confederated
nation, create the alliances needed to maintain it
and achieve success in Iraq - a country strong and
stable enough to be a good neighbor, not a terrorist
breeding ground.
MCT-Dallas.Morning.News
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 