A Toothless Resolution
Even if the Security Council approves the U.S. proposal, it won't change a thing in Iraq.
By Fred Kaplan
Posted Wednesday, October 15, 2003, at 4:06 PM PT
Hip, hip, but not hurray. The U.N. Security Council is expected to approve the Bush administration's revised draft of a resolution designed to legitimize the U.S.-led occupation authority and the U.S.-commanded security force in Iraq. However, the vote will probably be close and, in any case, the support is certainly tepid.
There is good reason for this lack of enthusiasm. The resolution essentially changes nothing. Its drafters have paid lip service to accelerating the process of Iraqi self-governance and strengthening the United Nations' role in this process. But a close reading of the resolution indicates that all power remains in American hands, that no real authority is transferred to the United Nations, and that a new Iraqi government remains a long way off.
The resolution may pass, but the act will have no effect. It will not compel or persuade other countries to donate money or manpower. Nor will it convince anyone who needs convincing on the ground in Iraq that the U.S. occupation is short-term or legitimate. In short, the resolution fails to accomplish the main diplomatic tasks at hand—to share the burdens of building postwar Iraq and to quell the violent resistance so the rebuilding can proceed securely.
Take a look at Section 1 of the resolution. This contains the much-quoted passage that notes the "temporary nature" of the U.S.-led occupation authority, and emphasizes that the authority's functions "will cease when an internationally recognized, representative government established by the people of Iraq is sworn in" and takes over the authority's responsibilities.
Sounds good, but two things are amiss here. First, most members of the Security Council want authority to pass from the United States to the Security Council itself—or to some body representing the Security Council—before moving into the hands of a new Iraqi government. Section 1 explicitly rejects this position: The U.S.-led authority will cease only when the new government is sworn in; there is no provision for an interim U.N. (or any other international) body.
Second, nothing in the resolution indicates that this transfer is going to take place any time soon. Many press reports have noted that the resolution gives Iraq's current Governing Council a deadline of Dec. 15 to come up with a new constitution and a procedure for holding democratic elections. Some reports have depicted this deadline as a sign of the Bush administration's newborn realization that power must be transferred quickly.
