June 30th Transition of Power in Iraq Criticized as Hollow Attempt to Bolster Bush Re-Election Bid

Interview with Rahul Mahajan, author and commentator, conducted by Scott Harris

After more than a year of deadly failures in Iraq, the Bush administration is working hard to gain international legitimacy as it prepares for a symbolic handover of sovereignty to a new interim, hand-picked Iraqi government on June 30. On June 9, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a resolution jointly sponsored by the U.S. and Britain, which endorses the continuing presence of an American-led military force in the country after the transfer of power.

In what was described as another success by the Bush administration, U.S. officials and Iraq's newly appointed Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, announced in early June that they had brokered an agreement that will disband nine of the nation's largest militia groups. But two of the groups most closely identified with the ongoing violence in Iraq, were excluded from the accord: the militant Shiite Mahdi Army loyal to Sheik Moktada al-Sadr, and the Falluja Brigade made up of ex-Republican Guard troops and insurgents.

But despite successes on the diplomatic front, Iraqi insurgents continue to attack U.S. soldiers and their allies across Iraq. As of June 7, more than 825 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq with another 18,000 injured and evacuated. Thus far, an estimated 10,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the U.S. invasion in March 2003. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Rahul Mahajan, author of the book, "Full Spectrum Dominance: U.S. Power in Iraq and Beyond." Mahajan, who has visited Iraq twice since January, examines the difficulties ahead for the U.S. and its Iraqi partners as the June 30th date of transfer approaches.

Rahul Mahajan's book, "Full Spectrum Dominance: U.S. Power in Iraq and Beyond," is published by Seven Stories Press. Read Mahajan's commentaries online at: www.empirenotes.org

Related links:



"Ex-C.I.A. Aides Say Iraq Leader Helped Agency in 90's Attacks," by Joel Brinkley, the New York Times, June 9, 2004

PSR Cites Policy Failures, Human Costs in Iraq; Nobel Prize Winning Group Calls for International Takeover, U.S. Withdrawal," Physicians for Social Responsibility, press release, June 2, 2004

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