US withdrawal must become Iraq's victory

This is the perfect time for the country's leaders to show their worth and pull its people together

Over this past week, Iraqi citizens have been waking up to a country that is no longer under the control of American soldiers. Naturally, they have been experiencing a sense of liberation, though the White House was correct in not equating this withdrawal with a victory.

After six years of bloodshed and communal warfare that has been ripping this Mideast country apart and claiming thousands of lives on either side, the pulling out of American troops was nothing less than a major turning point.

US President Barack Obama hailed the withdrawal of some 140,000 American troops as an "important milestone".

"Today American troops have transferred control of all Iraqi cities and towns to Iraq's government and security forces," Obama said. "The Iraqi people are rightfully treating this day as a cause for celebration. This is an important step forward, as a sovereign and united Iraq continues to take control of its own destiny."

Obama, an early opponent of the war, who campaigned on the platform of bringing US troops home, declared in February that all US combat operations would be brought to an end by August next year and that all soldiers would be brought home by the end of 2011.

Although the United States will always bear the responsibility for this war, the withdrawal, nevertheless, marks the beginning of a process that will have the Iraqis charting their own destiny. Iraq will be led by a predominantly Shi'ite government of elected Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

It may not be the Iraq created by Saddam Hussein, but it's too early to see if it will become a better nation. Hundreds of thousands of Iraq's ethnic minorities, mostly Kurds and the Shi'ites, were slaughtered during Saddam's reign. Still, the effort to remove the despotic leader came at great expense, including the lives of tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers as well as the displacement of some four million people.

Despite all this, the country is still torn by vicious power struggles. Permanent peace and a functional democracy look as if they are still a long way off. While the withdrawal of troops, in itself, is a very important step for the United States to take, some great uncertainties continue to remain. Sectarian violence and a vicious struggle for power are still very much an everyday reality.

In fact, Iraq's first day without US combat troops was greeted by a car bomb in the city of Kirkuk that killed at least 33 people and wounded 90. It was a grave reminder that nothing comes easy in this part of the world. At least 447 Iraqi civilians were killed last month, double the toll from the previous month, according to an Associated Press tally.

The withdrawal is, in Obama's words, a "precious opportunity" for Iraqi leaders to demonstrate their leadership and prove that they can make necessary choices to resolve key questions with regard to peace and security for their own people. They will have to be ready to make concessions for the sake of lasting peace.

Obviously that is easier said than done, and if the past six years tell us anything, it is that coming to a position that accommodates all sides will not be easy.

Unfortunately, the world has not seen sufficient reconciliation among Iraq's political factions.

The United States and the international community have a role to play, even though they cannot impose any specific terms. It will have to be the Iraqis who decide whether they want free and fair elections and if they want to mould this nation of theirs into an ideal society.

"Make no mistake, there will be difficult days ahead," Obama has warned. "We know that the violence in Iraq will continue ... there are those who will test Iraq's security forces and the resolve of the Iraqi people through more sectarian bombings and the murder of innocent civilians."

US Vice President Joe Biden is expected to take on the job of overseeing policy on Iraq. Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee before becoming vice president, Biden has made repeated trips to Iraq and is playing a similar role overseeing the US$787-billion (Bt26.8-trillion) economic-stimulus package for the ravaged nation.

Only time will tell if the militia and armed groups can contend with the Iraqi army. However, if recent history is any indication, there are enough reasons to be optimistic that the Iraqi government will succeed in winning over the hearts and minds of its own people.