Reflections on a New Iraq

Remarks by Sue M. Cobb

Ambassador of the United States of America to Jamaica

August 15, 2003

On August 8, we marked the hundredth day since the end of major military operations in Iraq.  This is a good time to recognize the full meaning of what a new Iraq means: the fact that 24 million Iraqis are finally free from overwhelming oppression.  

It isn't just world leaders and ambassadors who proclaim these successes; the clearest and most important voices are those of Iraqis themselves.  Taha Bedawi, mayor of the Iraqi town of Fallujah, told the Washington Post,  "The tension is reducing every day. We are seeing a change. People are starting to realize that the soldiers are not here to occupy Fallujah forever—they're here to help us rebuild."

Step by step, Iraqis are reshaping their nation, and seeing an improvement in the live of their families and fellow citizens. Transportation is restarted, university students finish their exams for the year, food distribution systems continue working, and more than 150 newspapers compete in a new marketplace of ideas. The economy is strengthened by the fact that banks are opening throughout the country and a new currency is being urgently prepared.

Cultural life is reawakening, too. Baghdad's symphony and theaters are reopening.  Iraqi athletes, including the famous soccer players who faced torture under Saddam Hussein's reign, are now rediscovering the joy of sport.  

The Iraqi Olympic Committee, previously the bastion of Uday Hussein's brutality, is reconstituted with free Iraqis.   The international community is focused on rehabilitating the Marshlands in southern Iraq, where the ancient civilization of Marsh Arabs was almost destroyed by Saddam.  And thousands of treasures from Iraq's National Museum have been recovered. 

Working closely with Iraqis, the international Coalition Provisional Authority is focused on security, economic rebirth, strengthening basic services, and the establishment of an independent, democratic government.

This and much more has been accomplished in 100 days.

The new Iraqi Governing Council, formed last month, is a 25-member council - composed of three women, Kurdish, Sunni, Christian and Turkmen representatives, and Shi'ia - a first and important move toward Iraqi self-government.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan praised the Council in a July report to the UN Security Council, stating, "[The Council's] formation is an important first step towards the full restoration of Iraqi sovereignty." This should not go unnoticed by critics who have highlighted the new Iraq's growing pains rather than its achievements.

The UN special envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, is working with the Coalition in Baghdad to support the new Council.  He expressed the view that the Council can be seen as broadly representative of Iraq's constituencies and is a necessary part of moving beyond the reign of Saddam Hussein. "With the formation of the Governing Council, we now enter a new stage that succeeds the disorienting power vacuum that followed the fall of the previous regime," de Mello said.  UN Resolution 1483 stresses, among other things, Iraq's right to determine its own political future and welcomes those who support the creation of an environment in which Iraq may do so.

President Bush has called on nations of the world to support Iraq's progress now that the Governing Council has been established. "I urge the nations of the world to contribute -- militarily and financially -- towards fulfilling Security Council Resolution 1483's vision of a free and secure Iraq," he said. 

Secretary-General Annan echoed that comment. "The people of Iraq are anxious for their country to become a stable, democratic and prosperous State. To succeed, they need the support of their neighbors and the region as a whole... A stable Iraq -- one that is at peace with itself and its neighbors -- is in our collective interest, particularly that of the region."

President Bush has highlighted the aspirations of freedom-loving Iraqis, as well as the plan to achieve their hope.  President Bush noted that "Soon, representatives of the people will begin drafting a new constitution and free elections will follow. After decades of oppression, the people of Iraq are reclaiming their country and are reclaiming their future."

I find inspiration in the hope and determination of the Iraqi people to rebuild a nation following years of subjugation.  As we reflect on the progress made in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein, let us look to the future, and support the efforts made by Iraqis as they shape a free nation.