Dr. iRack critiques hawks' failure to grasp why Iraqi leaders aren't signing on to US SOFA demands. " ... The truth of the matter is that it is difficult to see a way forward in current negotiations if one starts from the premise that the entire goal of the talks is to allow the United States the maximum amount of "freedom of action" in Iraq and the largest possible troop presence for as long as we want. As Dr. iRack wrote yesterday, even the Maliki government--which probably, deep down, wants a long-term bilateral security relationship--is uncomfortable with this position, because it is a blow to Iraqi sovereignty--creating, at the very least, a political "marketing" problem in the face of rising national sentiment and impending provincial elections. [...] Moreover, because Maliki et al. are increasingly overconfident that they can police Iraq all by themselves, and the Bush administration has done a great job of convincing the Iraqi government that we need them more than they need us (because our support to Maliki, at the strategic level, is effectively unconditional), the current Iraqi ruling coalition believes they have all the leverage. This shouldn't be the case. ...."

Posted by Laura at June 15, 2008 10:08 AM