Whats Iraqi for Newspeak?
The media fanfare pronouncing that “sovereignty” was transferred back to the Iraqis at the end of June showed how it bows down to power. That they could, in the main, report with a straight face that the Americans giving limited powers to a group of US appointed Iraqi politicians shows that a willingness to genuflect that knows few bounds. Of course, reality crept in sometimes. The transfer being brought forward two days early and concluded in a tiny, highly secret, ceremony says far more about the situation in Iraq than the US intended. Undoubtedly, it was a wise move but one whose symbolic message is clear. There were no public festivals celebrating the “transfer,” suggesting that most Iraqis see it for what it is. After all, the “sovereignty” transferred is less than you would expect. There is the continuing direct (and indefinite) military occupation. Over 140,000 foreign troops, none of which are under the new government’s control, are, thanks to a late edict of Paul Bremer, compl
