Are U.S. efforts to form a permanent government there progressing?
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday blamed “people who are trying to stoke civil war in Iraq” for provoking the violence as an 11th-hour play to derail political consensus. She remains confident Iraqis “are devoted to, dedicated to, the formation of a national unity government.” What is the U.S. reaction to the violence? President Bush on Friday called for calm in Iraq. “This is a moment of choosing for the Iraqi people,” he said. “We can expect the coming days will be intense. Iraq remains a serious situation, but I’m optimistic because the Iraqi people have spoken and make their intentions clear. They want their freedom. They want their country to be a democracy.” How does this affect coalition plans? The chaos that has overtaken Iraq is threatening hopes that starting significant troop withdrawals might be possible in the coming months. At the moment, neither of the two elements needed before a foreign withdrawal can happen are in place: There is neither a functioning gove
