NEW GOVERNMENT DOES NOT REPRESENT IRAQ
Many Iraqis see the new government as composed of American puppets and collaborators... a spokesman for the al Da'waa Party, a powerful Shiite Muslim group in Iraq, said the new government hasn't been well received... a political professor at Baghdad University said "It does not represent Iraq; it does not have much power. (Prime Minister) Allawi has to know that the people do not accept the presence of these troops on Iraqi land. Most of the Iraqi people look at this government as a puppet for the Americans ... more than 90 percent of the people here agree with the resistance."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/8891610.htm
Friday, June 11, 2004
LOST IN ABU GHRAIB
"Dozens of missing Iraqis believed to be lost in Abu Ghraib prison... There's no way to tell how many have slipped into obscurity after being arrested by U.S. forces, said a coalition human-rights official... "The whole system is desperately overloaded, so the names get gobbled up and disappear."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/8891610.htm
"Dozens of missing Iraqis believed to be lost in Abu Ghraib prison... There's no way to tell how many have slipped into obscurity after being arrested by U.S. forces, said a coalition human-rights official... "The whole system is desperately overloaded, so the names get gobbled up and disappear."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/8891610.htm
RATIONALE FOR WAR
The other week a friend and I were discussing the war. I listed the false reasons for going to war, and the cost in lives and money. She then posed the question: "Would it not be worth it if the war established a friendly democracy in the Middle East?" She assumed that any reasonable person would answer "yes" to that question.
But a "yes" answer has several problems:
1. It says the false reasons for the war were justified because the real goal was OK.
2. It says that it was OK to change the regime of a country by attacking it.
3. It assumes that war will establish democracy in Iraq, when the same approach failed 80 years ago.
4. It assumes that a truly free and democratic Iraq will want continued US control politically, militarily and economically.
It seemed that this person, like others, now feels that it was OK to attack Iraq under any pretenses, if there was a chance of converting it to a cooperative democracy. This in fact was the goal of the Bush administration's Neo-Conservative group, as described in their paper entitled "Project For A New American Century" almost ten years ago.
The other week a friend and I were discussing the war. I listed the false reasons for going to war, and the cost in lives and money. She then posed the question: "Would it not be worth it if the war established a friendly democracy in the Middle East?" She assumed that any reasonable person would answer "yes" to that question.
But a "yes" answer has several problems:
1. It says the false reasons for the war were justified because the real goal was OK.
2. It says that it was OK to change the regime of a country by attacking it.
3. It assumes that war will establish democracy in Iraq, when the same approach failed 80 years ago.
4. It assumes that a truly free and democratic Iraq will want continued US control politically, militarily and economically.
It seemed that this person, like others, now feels that it was OK to attack Iraq under any pretenses, if there was a chance of converting it to a cooperative democracy. This in fact was the goal of the Bush administration's Neo-Conservative group, as described in their paper entitled "Project For A New American Century" almost ten years ago.
TORTURE FOR PROFIT
"... US firms hired to help interrogate Iraqi prisoners have been sued for allegedly conspiring to abuse detainees in order to boost profits... employees conspired to torture prisoners in order to obtain more information from them, thereby increasing their chances of winning more government contracts... The lawsuit, filed in San Diego, details fresh allegations of grave abuse, with one plaintiff claiming that he was forced to watch while his father was tortured so badly that he later died..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3793663.stm
"... US firms hired to help interrogate Iraqi prisoners have been sued for allegedly conspiring to abuse detainees in order to boost profits... employees conspired to torture prisoners in order to obtain more information from them, thereby increasing their chances of winning more government contracts... The lawsuit, filed in San Diego, details fresh allegations of grave abuse, with one plaintiff claiming that he was forced to watch while his father was tortured so badly that he later died..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3793663.stm
Thursday, June 10, 2004
IRAQIS' CONTACT WITH MILITARY
"... Despite endless hypocrisy about how we have brought freedom to the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, we know that almost all the citizens of those countries who have come in contact with our armed forces and survived have nonetheless had their lives ruined..."
"... The courageous, anonymous Iraqi woman who edits the blog "Baghdad Burning"... writes (on May 7), "Don't rape, don't torture, don't kill, and get out while you can -- while it still looks like you have a choice. . . . Chaos? Civil war? We'll take our chances -- just take your puppets, your tanks, your smart weapons, your dumb politicians, your lies, your empty promises, your rapists, your sadistic torturers and go."
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0610-09.htm
"... Despite endless hypocrisy about how we have brought freedom to the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, we know that almost all the citizens of those countries who have come in contact with our armed forces and survived have nonetheless had their lives ruined..."
"... The courageous, anonymous Iraqi woman who edits the blog "Baghdad Burning"... writes (on May 7), "Don't rape, don't torture, don't kill, and get out while you can -- while it still looks like you have a choice. . . . Chaos? Civil war? We'll take our chances -- just take your puppets, your tanks, your smart weapons, your dumb politicians, your lies, your empty promises, your rapists, your sadistic torturers and go."
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0610-09.htm
OUR BLUEPRINT FOR THE MIDDLE EAST
The main reason for the invasion of Iraq... was to occupy the country, exploit its oil and control the Middle East in collusion with Israel. In this scenario, the US would have permanent military bases on the borders of Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.... US engineers in Iraq have begun work on the construction of 14 permanent military bases, which US Brigadier-General Mark Kimmitt calls "a blueprint for how we could operate in the Middle East".
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FF10Ak01.html
THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF IRAQ'S DUAL GOVERNMENT
(In 1922, as now, Iraq came to be governed by dually by a foreign mandate and by a provisional Iraqi government.) The impossibility of government by the dual authority of the mandate and the so-called government was called "a perplexing predicament" (al-wad' ash-shadh).... Soon the impossibility of government by dual authority will be repeated, and create once again al-wad' ash-shadh. Except that now, it will most likely be more brutal and deadly.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FF10Ak01.html
The main reason for the invasion of Iraq... was to occupy the country, exploit its oil and control the Middle East in collusion with Israel. In this scenario, the US would have permanent military bases on the borders of Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.... US engineers in Iraq have begun work on the construction of 14 permanent military bases, which US Brigadier-General Mark Kimmitt calls "a blueprint for how we could operate in the Middle East".
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FF10Ak01.html
THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF IRAQ'S DUAL GOVERNMENT
(In 1922, as now, Iraq came to be governed by dually by a foreign mandate and by a provisional Iraqi government.) The impossibility of government by the dual authority of the mandate and the so-called government was called "a perplexing predicament" (al-wad' ash-shadh).... Soon the impossibility of government by dual authority will be repeated, and create once again al-wad' ash-shadh. Except that now, it will most likely be more brutal and deadly.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FF10Ak01.html
Q & A: THE HANDOVER IN IRAQ
Power in Iraq is to be formally handed over to an interim Iraqi government by the coalition or occupation forces on 30 June. But what will this mean in practice? BBC News Online looks at the key issues.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3742383.stm
Power in Iraq is to be formally handed over to an interim Iraqi government by the coalition or occupation forces on 30 June. But what will this mean in practice? BBC News Online looks at the key issues.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3742383.stm
REAGAN BUILD-UP OF SADDAM HUSSEIN
"... almost forgotten is the decisive part (Reagan's) administration played in the survival of Iraq's president Saddam Hussein... in February 1982, the State Department dropped Baghdad from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, clearing the way for aid and trade... Soon thereafter, Washington began passing high-value military intelligence to Iraq... Economic aid poured into Iraq in the form of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of loan guarantees... Sales of UH-1H helicopters and Hughes MD-500 Defender helicopters were approved by Washington. Though sold as civilian aircraft, nobody objected when they were quickly converted for military use... A May 9, 1984 memo... noted that US policy for the sale of dual-use equipment to Iraq's nuclear program also was reviewed. The memo said its "preliminary results favor expanding such trade to include Iraqi nuclear entities." By March 1985, the United States was issuing Baghdad export permits for high tech equipment crucial for its weapons of mass destruction programs..."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0609-01.htm
"... almost forgotten is the decisive part (Reagan's) administration played in the survival of Iraq's president Saddam Hussein... in February 1982, the State Department dropped Baghdad from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, clearing the way for aid and trade... Soon thereafter, Washington began passing high-value military intelligence to Iraq... Economic aid poured into Iraq in the form of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of loan guarantees... Sales of UH-1H helicopters and Hughes MD-500 Defender helicopters were approved by Washington. Though sold as civilian aircraft, nobody objected when they were quickly converted for military use... A May 9, 1984 memo... noted that US policy for the sale of dual-use equipment to Iraq's nuclear program also was reviewed. The memo said its "preliminary results favor expanding such trade to include Iraqi nuclear entities." By March 1985, the United States was issuing Baghdad export permits for high tech equipment crucial for its weapons of mass destruction programs..."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0609-01.htm
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
WE TRAINED HIM WELL
"... When he was in his early 20s, Saddam was integral to an American plot to overthrow Iraq's then-dictator, General Abdel Karim Kassem. The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) installed him in an apartment on al-Rashid Street in Baghdad to observe the ruler's movements. But after a botched assassination attempt in 1959, the Americans whisked Saddam away to Cairo, Egypt. The 1963 coup against Kassem was a redux of the anti-Mosaddeq coup in Iran, planned to perfection by the CIA. American agents then provided Saddam with lists of "communists" who were subjected to mass summary executions. The CIA station chief of the time regarded it as "a great victory".
--An excerpt from review of the book:
"The End of Saddam Hussein: History Through the Eyes of the Victims", by Prem Shankar Jha
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FE06Ak03.html
"... Hussein had been recruited as a CIA operative, assisted and sustained by the US in his rise to power in Iraq, and given money, weapons and technical assistance—even the ingredients for the poisonous gasses he used on the Kurds and Iranians—by the Reagan-Bush administration represented by a smiling Donald Rumsfeld..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0609-11.htm
"... When he was in his early 20s, Saddam was integral to an American plot to overthrow Iraq's then-dictator, General Abdel Karim Kassem. The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) installed him in an apartment on al-Rashid Street in Baghdad to observe the ruler's movements. But after a botched assassination attempt in 1959, the Americans whisked Saddam away to Cairo, Egypt. The 1963 coup against Kassem was a redux of the anti-Mosaddeq coup in Iran, planned to perfection by the CIA. American agents then provided Saddam with lists of "communists" who were subjected to mass summary executions. The CIA station chief of the time regarded it as "a great victory".
--An excerpt from review of the book:
"The End of Saddam Hussein: History Through the Eyes of the Victims", by Prem Shankar Jha
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FE06Ak03.html
"... Hussein had been recruited as a CIA operative, assisted and sustained by the US in his rise to power in Iraq, and given money, weapons and technical assistance—even the ingredients for the poisonous gasses he used on the Kurds and Iranians—by the Reagan-Bush administration represented by a smiling Donald Rumsfeld..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0609-11.htm
KURDS WANT INDEPENDENCE
"Sensing no change in their status under the new government, Kurdish leaders suggest their entity may break away... warning.. is made in a letter... sent to the American president over the weekend..."
http://www.oneworld.net/external/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwpr.net%2Findex.pl%3Farchive%2Firq%2Firq_66_1_eng.txt
"Sensing no change in their status under the new government, Kurdish leaders suggest their entity may break away... warning.. is made in a letter... sent to the American president over the weekend..."
http://www.oneworld.net/external/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwpr.net%2Findex.pl%3Farchive%2Firq%2Firq_66_1_eng.txt
REASON FOR DISSENT
"... If the world’s most powerful force invades a country, kills over 11,000 people, quashes dissent, makes mass arrests without charges, violates the Geneva Conventions, allows the systemic abuse of prisoners, and imposes a constitution that will allow multiple permanent foreign bases and continued foreign corporate control of the country’s natural resources, then that country—any country—will become a hotbed of dissent..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0609-11.htm
"... If the world’s most powerful force invades a country, kills over 11,000 people, quashes dissent, makes mass arrests without charges, violates the Geneva Conventions, allows the systemic abuse of prisoners, and imposes a constitution that will allow multiple permanent foreign bases and continued foreign corporate control of the country’s natural resources, then that country—any country—will become a hotbed of dissent..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0609-11.htm
IRAQI PRIME MINISTER WAS TERRORIST FOR USA
"Iyad Allawi, now the designated prime minister of Iraq, ran an exile organization intent on deposing Saddam Hussein that sent agents into Baghdad in the early 1990's to plant bombs and sabotage government facilities under the direction of the C.I.A... The Iraqi government at the time claimed that the bombs, including one it said exploded in a movie theater, resulted in many civilian casualties.... An American intelligence officer who worked with Dr. Allawi in the early 1990's noted that "no one had any problem with sabotage in Baghdad back then..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/09/politics/09ALLA.html
"Iyad Allawi, now the designated prime minister of Iraq, ran an exile organization intent on deposing Saddam Hussein that sent agents into Baghdad in the early 1990's to plant bombs and sabotage government facilities under the direction of the C.I.A... The Iraqi government at the time claimed that the bombs, including one it said exploded in a movie theater, resulted in many civilian casualties.... An American intelligence officer who worked with Dr. Allawi in the early 1990's noted that "no one had any problem with sabotage in Baghdad back then..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/09/politics/09ALLA.html
IRAQI MISSILE PARTS IN HOLLAND
"... Iraqi missile motors and other weapons-related equipment have been smuggled to Europe for recycling in scrapyards after they were left unguarded following the U.S. invasion last year... according to the report to the U.N. Security Council... Several sites in Iraq that once contained equipment that could have been used for biological or chemical weapons, have been emptied and dismantled since May 2003... the U.S.-led occupation force had not protected sites or items that inspectors tagged before the war because of their potential use in weapons of mass destruction..."
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/25434/story.htm
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=525050§ion=news
"... Iraqi missile motors and other weapons-related equipment have been smuggled to Europe for recycling in scrapyards after they were left unguarded following the U.S. invasion last year... according to the report to the U.N. Security Council... Several sites in Iraq that once contained equipment that could have been used for biological or chemical weapons, have been emptied and dismantled since May 2003... the U.S.-led occupation force had not protected sites or items that inspectors tagged before the war because of their potential use in weapons of mass destruction..."
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/25434/story.htm
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=525050§ion=news
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
LOSING THE WAR
"... The US military evidently feels that it has achieved all that it could in Iraq. It wants to declare victory and lower its level of engagement. It does not want to be left fighting a war of attrition, long after the appeal of its protean justifications have worn off. Major-General Charles Swannack was quoted in the Washington Post as saying: "I think strategically, we are [losing the war]."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/FF09Aa01.html
"... The US military evidently feels that it has achieved all that it could in Iraq. It wants to declare victory and lower its level of engagement. It does not want to be left fighting a war of attrition, long after the appeal of its protean justifications have worn off. Major-General Charles Swannack was quoted in the Washington Post as saying: "I think strategically, we are [losing the war]."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/FF09Aa01.html
KURDISH MONSTER LOOSED
"... the Kurds and north Iraq, where there has been relative calm until now, are looking more and more ominous.... military mobilization of Kurdish forces, in an attempt to secure its own interests as the June 30 date for the handover of sovereignty to Iraq nears, appears to be under way.... the United States now has little use for the Kurds, who see clearly that once again they are being abandoned by the US... The United States has let loose a Kurdish "monster", not only on Iraq itself, but also on the region at large, a "monster" which cannot easily be put back into the box..."
"... the handover of sovereignty on June 30 may... accelerate Iraq's descent into sectarian violence, with Turkey and Syria cooperating militarily to secure their interests in northern Iraq by taking control of that region, and the southern regions of Iraq moving significantly closer into cooperation with Iran, with the US military caught in the middle. The relative calmness of northern Iraq is very likely to be much like the calmness of a large bomb - its calmness very deceptively masks the huge explosion which is likely imminent. "
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FF09Ak03.html
"... the Kurds and north Iraq, where there has been relative calm until now, are looking more and more ominous.... military mobilization of Kurdish forces, in an attempt to secure its own interests as the June 30 date for the handover of sovereignty to Iraq nears, appears to be under way.... the United States now has little use for the Kurds, who see clearly that once again they are being abandoned by the US... The United States has let loose a Kurdish "monster", not only on Iraq itself, but also on the region at large, a "monster" which cannot easily be put back into the box..."
"... the handover of sovereignty on June 30 may... accelerate Iraq's descent into sectarian violence, with Turkey and Syria cooperating militarily to secure their interests in northern Iraq by taking control of that region, and the southern regions of Iraq moving significantly closer into cooperation with Iran, with the US military caught in the middle. The relative calmness of northern Iraq is very likely to be much like the calmness of a large bomb - its calmness very deceptively masks the huge explosion which is likely imminent. "
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FF09Ak03.html
KEY POINTS OF UN RESOLUTION 1546 ON SOVEREIGNTY
BBC News Online summarises the key points of the US and British resolution on the future of Iraq, adopted by the UN Security Council on Tuesday 8 June 2004.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3787027.stm
BBC News Online summarises the key points of the US and British resolution on the future of Iraq, adopted by the UN Security Council on Tuesday 8 June 2004.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3787027.stm
Monday, June 07, 2004
GAS IS 5 CENTS A GALLON - SUBSIDIZED BY U.S.
"... Iraqis pay only about 5 cents a gallon for gasoline - a benefit of hundreds of millions of dollars subsidies bankrolled by American taxpayers... Although Iraq is a major petroleum producer, the country has little capacity to refine its own gasoline. So the U.S. government pays about $1.50 a gallon to buy fuel in neighboring countries and deliver it to Iraqi stations. A three-month supply costs American taxpayers more than $500 million, not including the cost of military escorts to fend off attacks by Iraqi insurgents. The arrangement keeps a fleet of 4,200 tank trucks constantly on the move, ferrying fuel to Iraq..."
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/business/8850265.htm
"... Iraqis pay only about 5 cents a gallon for gasoline - a benefit of hundreds of millions of dollars subsidies bankrolled by American taxpayers... Although Iraq is a major petroleum producer, the country has little capacity to refine its own gasoline. So the U.S. government pays about $1.50 a gallon to buy fuel in neighboring countries and deliver it to Iraqi stations. A three-month supply costs American taxpayers more than $500 million, not including the cost of military escorts to fend off attacks by Iraqi insurgents. The arrangement keeps a fleet of 4,200 tank trucks constantly on the move, ferrying fuel to Iraq..."
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/business/8850265.htm
Sunday, June 06, 2004
THE WAR'S EFFECT ON THE WHITE HOUSE
“We’re at war, there’s no doubt about it. What I don’t know anymore is just who the enemy might be,” says one troubled White House aide. “We seem to spend more time trying to destroy John Kerry than al Qaeda and our enemies list just keeps growing and growing ... “This is what is killing us on Iraq,” one aide says. “We lost focus. The President got hung up on the weapons of mass destruction and an unproven link to al Qaeda" .... “In this administration, you don’t have to wear a turban or speak Farsi to be an enemy of the United States. All you have to do is disagree with the President" ... The President's abrupt dismissal of CIA Directory George Tenet Wednesday night is, aides say, an example of how he works."
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_4636.shtml
“We’re at war, there’s no doubt about it. What I don’t know anymore is just who the enemy might be,” says one troubled White House aide. “We seem to spend more time trying to destroy John Kerry than al Qaeda and our enemies list just keeps growing and growing ... “This is what is killing us on Iraq,” one aide says. “We lost focus. The President got hung up on the weapons of mass destruction and an unproven link to al Qaeda" .... “In this administration, you don’t have to wear a turban or speak Farsi to be an enemy of the United States. All you have to do is disagree with the President" ... The President's abrupt dismissal of CIA Directory George Tenet Wednesday night is, aides say, an example of how he works."
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_4636.shtml
Friday, June 04, 2004
BRAHIMI OUTMANUEVERED IN SELECTION OF NEW GOVERNMENT
"... according to UN sources, Brahimi was outmanoeuvred by the Iraqis on the governing council seeking to perpetuate their power. Paul Bremer, the head of the coalition provisional authority, announced the new prime minister before Brahimi had been informed, an extension of the doctrine of pre-emption. Then Brahimi was sidelined again on the selection of the president. Presented with this fait accompli, the UN sources say, he had to accept it or else destroy any remnant of legality. "Once it was done, it was done," said a UN source.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1230140,00.html
"... according to UN sources, Brahimi was outmanoeuvred by the Iraqis on the governing council seeking to perpetuate their power. Paul Bremer, the head of the coalition provisional authority, announced the new prime minister before Brahimi had been informed, an extension of the doctrine of pre-emption. Then Brahimi was sidelined again on the selection of the president. Presented with this fait accompli, the UN sources say, he had to accept it or else destroy any remnant of legality. "Once it was done, it was done," said a UN source.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1230140,00.html
TRANSFER OF POWER A BLUEWASHED SHAM
"... the UN envoy's collapse under U.S. pressure, giving in to the U.S.-selected and U.S.-controlled Governing Council's choice in selecting the prime minister and other top officials of the interim government, shocked even those observers accustomed to U.S. domination of the global body. If Brahimi was ultimately unable to impose the UN's will on the U.S. and the recalcitrant Governing Council to appoint non-political technocrats to run the country and prepare for elections in 2005, he could have acknowledged that failure and withdrawn. The result would almost certainly have been a U.S. 'transfer of power' to the Governing Council itself, which would have been widely and appropriately recognized as undemocratic, illegal, and illegitimate. Instead, there are now Governing Council members and their minions in all the top positions of the interim government, but with the illusion of international credibility providing a United Nations 'bluewashing' of the process...."
"... The appointment of CIA-linked Allawi as prime minister, along with the virtual renaming of the IGC as the 'new interim government,' confirms that 'transfer of sovereignty' is a sham. Allawi is a British citizen and the head of the Iraqi National Accord, responsible for providing the sensational pre-invasion claim that Saddam Hussein was able to deploy weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes of the order."
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0601-07.htm
"... the UN envoy's collapse under U.S. pressure, giving in to the U.S.-selected and U.S.-controlled Governing Council's choice in selecting the prime minister and other top officials of the interim government, shocked even those observers accustomed to U.S. domination of the global body. If Brahimi was ultimately unable to impose the UN's will on the U.S. and the recalcitrant Governing Council to appoint non-political technocrats to run the country and prepare for elections in 2005, he could have acknowledged that failure and withdrawn. The result would almost certainly have been a U.S. 'transfer of power' to the Governing Council itself, which would have been widely and appropriately recognized as undemocratic, illegal, and illegitimate. Instead, there are now Governing Council members and their minions in all the top positions of the interim government, but with the illusion of international credibility providing a United Nations 'bluewashing' of the process...."
"... The appointment of CIA-linked Allawi as prime minister, along with the virtual renaming of the IGC as the 'new interim government,' confirms that 'transfer of sovereignty' is a sham. Allawi is a British citizen and the head of the Iraqi National Accord, responsible for providing the sensational pre-invasion claim that Saddam Hussein was able to deploy weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes of the order."
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0601-07.htm