The "foreign press" on Bush's handling of Iraq. Maybe the "foreign leaders" will be next.
EDITORIAL:Spreading chaos in Iraq
Bush should not let Iraq become his `Vietnam.'
The situation in Iraq can no longer be described as a conflict between the U.S.-led occupation forces and terrorist organizations. It has escalated into a full-blown clash between Iraqis rising against the foreign occupation and international troops trying to crush the uprisings.
As many as 12 American troops were killed in a recent street fighting against insurgents in the city of Ramadi, west of Baghdad. That represents the biggest number of U.S. military casualties in a single ground fight since President George W. Bush declared the end of major combat in Iraq in May last year. Many Iraqi citizens were killed in U.S. attacks in Fallujah, where U.S. contractors were beaten, burned to death and dragged around by crowds.
Even in Basra, a relatively peaceful southern Iraqi city in a Shiite-dominant region, British troops had a gunbattle with Iraqi militiamen. Fights involving Italian and Spanish troops have also been reported. The Iraqi uprising against the American-led occupation has spread to many parts of the nation.
Adding new complications is the emergence of armed insurgence against the occupation among Shiite Muslims who live mainly in southern parts of Iraq.
Iraq's Shiite majority initially welcomed the U.S. and British forces, which liberated them from the brutal suppression by the Saddam Hussein regime. But the U.S. plan for the transfer of sovereignty to an Iraqi interim government has provoked outbursts of discontent among Shiite Muslims who want to secure political leadership in the new Iraq.
But Shiites are far from united against the U.S.-led occupation. The uprising is led by the radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr and his loyal militiamen. His support base is not as broad as that of top Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. By rallying his followers to drive foreign troops from Iraq, al-Sadr is apparently trying to increase his clout within the group.
It is, though, undeniable that the occupying forces' tactless handling of the hard-line cleric has also fanned the insurgency. They have banned the newspaper he issued and arrested one of his close aides, provoking clashes between Shiite demonstrators and international troops. Shiite Muslims were pleased with the collapse of the Saddam regime but are not content with the current occupation.
Attempts to quell this uprising with force will inevitably lead to more Iraqi casualties and thereby strengthen anti-U.S. sentiment. That would stir up even more revolts against the occupation forces, leading to a vicious cycle.
In the face of the spreading insurgency in Iraq, White House spokesman Scott McCellan has stressed U.S. resolve is ``unshakable.'' The occupation authority intends to suppress both Sunni Muslim insurgents and the Shiite uprising led by al-Sadr. The Bush administration has started considering major reinforcements of the U.S. troops in the country.
The Bush administration's tough posture reflects its desire to weaken the resisting forces as much as possible by the scheduled transfer of sovereignty at the end of June. That's probably because Bush regards a smooth power transfer to an interim government as crucial for his re-election quest in fall.
Bush seems loath to make any move that can be seen as giving in to mounting political pressure as calls for a postponement of the power shift are growing louder even within his own Republican Party. But depending only on force to untangle the current crisis will likely cause the Bush administration to repeat its mistakes of the past year.
The rapidly deteriorating situation is beginning to have negative effects on the operations of Japan's Self-Defense Forces deployed to Samawah.
Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy has likened the Iraqi situation to the quagmire of the Vietnam War, saying Iraq has become ``George Bush's Vietnam.'' The Bush administration should make every effort to prevent the situation from gaining more parallels with Vietnam.
--The Asahi Shimbun, April 8(IHT/Asahi: April 9,2004) (04/09)
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