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08/23/2004:

"William Blum: Brave New World of Iraqi Sovereignty"

counterpunch.org---Full Article
This is what the Brave New World of Iraqi Sovereignty looks like:

* US military bases remain, with more being built.

* Some 160,000 troops of the United States and its allies remain, the Americans for at least five years.

* US military commanders will continue to exercise final authority over not only these troops, but also all Iraqi police, security and army units.

* Immunity from Iraqi criminal charges for US military and contractor personnel continues.

* A giant American embassy is being built, to hold a thousand employees.

* Before his departure, the US administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority, L. Paul Bremer, issued a raft of edicts. The new interim government has very limited power to change these laws and regulations, one of which is an elections provision that gives a commission the power to disqualify political parties and any of the candidates they support.

* Bremer also appointed at least two dozen selected Iraqis to key government jobs with multi-year terms.

* The prime-minister, Ayad Allawi, who was chosen by Bremer, is a former (?) CIA asset. (Allawi has a vicious, ruthless background, including working with Saddam Hussein, and reportedly has personally engaged in horrible, sadistic acts as prime minister.)

* The United States retains custody of Saddam Hussein.

* The United States continues to bomb the people of Iraq and smash down their doors wherever and whenever it wishes.