Editorial: Long road ahead for sovereignty

Tuesday, June 29, 2004 | 8:30 a.m.

For the first since Saddam Hussein was driven from power by United States-led military forces 15 months ago, an Iraqi flag flew Monday over government offices in Baghdad. Iraq's own interim government is now in charge of shaping the post-Saddam era. Its two immediate objectives are quelling the ongoing insurgency, which just last week claimed more than 100 lives, and preparing the country for its first nationwide elections.

The hopeful view is that the new government will grow strong in a democratic manner, allowing the U.S. to begin gradually reducing its forces in Iraq, which today number about 140,000. And it's hoped the Iraqi people, including the Sunnis, the Shias and the Kurds, will learn for themselves how to live in peace with each other, as opposed to having a bloody orderliness imposed upon them. A free Iraq, able to trade with the world and open itself to modernity, could one day lead the whole Arab world toward peaceful accommodation with Western countries.

Iraq's new government, however, is tenuous. If it succeeds, it will be against heavy odds. President Bush was optimistic Monday, proclaiming, "The Iraqi people have their country back." But do they? Insurgency, led in many areas of the country by terrorists, poses a powerful threat. Although soldiers, police officers, border guards and civil defense positions have been filled by the thousands, the people hired have very little training. Bush has persuaded NATO nations to help train Iraq's security forces, but that will take years when the need is now. Saboteurs and murderers have the upper hand as Iraq's new government takes its first baby steps. The new leaders are talking about imposing martial law, and granting pardons to militants, tactics that could alienate Iraqis just learning about democracy.

Given the level of ongoing violence, including hostage taking and beheadings, the United States must stay on guard in Iraq for the foreseeable future. Otherwise, the new government, installed at such cost, will be overrun. The Iraqis have their government back, on paper anyway, but it will be a long time coming before they have their country back.