Do Permanent US Bases in Iraq Mean a Permanent Occupation?
Do Permanent US Bases in Iraq Mean a Permanent Occupation? Friday June 13, 2008#spacer{clear:left}#abc #sidebar{margin-top:1.5em}zSB(3,3) Uncomfortable stance: An American soldier and a young Iraqi boy, as if in a stand-off in the middle of Sadr City in Baghdad, symbolize the vast gulf that separates American designs on Iraq from Iraqi expectations of Americans. (Chris Hondros/Getty Images) On Dec. 31, the United Nations mandate providing for an American and multi-national military presence in Iraq expires. It was last renewed in 2007 at the request of the Iraqi government. It is not likely to be renewed again: The UN signed on to the extension on condition that it be the last. American forces won’t have the legal authority to stay in Iraq beyond that mandate just because they choose to. To extend the American presence, seen as an occupation by most Iraq
