So, it's all over.
The Iraqi army has been wiped out, the country is totally under American control and Saddam is dead, captured or 'missing'. It only took a few weeks, and American casualties have been pretty light.
What sort of government should be installed?
Military occupation government: The leader of the country is an American general, with democracy decades away. Likely to stoke anti-American feeling throughout the Muslim world, and severely irritate the Arab states, who will object to the presence of an 'American Caesar'. Still, this maximises American control over the country, and maybe the Islamic world will learn that America is a benevolent master...
Puppet government: The leader is an American puppet drawn from the Iraqi exiles, a bit like Afghanistan. He's touted as a democatic leader, but actual elections are 'years away'. More diplomatic than the occupation government, with almost as much control, but if the leader is assassinated, or veers off message, then there's bound to be trouble. There's also the problem of the ethnic groups accepting a leader who's not one of them.
Democracy: A full-blown democracy right from the start. This will improve America's standing in the wider world (and probably among the populations of the Muslim countries), but will infuriate the leaders of the undemocratic nations surrounding Iraq. There's a serious danger of Islamic extremists getting power, not to mention the assorted ethnicities trying to secede.
These are the three main options. There are others, such as annexation or anarchy, but I think that they're realistic.
The Iraqi army has been wiped out, the country is totally under American control and Saddam is dead, captured or 'missing'. It only took a few weeks, and American casualties have been pretty light.
What sort of government should be installed?
Military occupation government: The leader of the country is an American general, with democracy decades away. Likely to stoke anti-American feeling throughout the Muslim world, and severely irritate the Arab states, who will object to the presence of an 'American Caesar'. Still, this maximises American control over the country, and maybe the Islamic world will learn that America is a benevolent master...
Puppet government: The leader is an American puppet drawn from the Iraqi exiles, a bit like Afghanistan. He's touted as a democatic leader, but actual elections are 'years away'. More diplomatic than the occupation government, with almost as much control, but if the leader is assassinated, or veers off message, then there's bound to be trouble. There's also the problem of the ethnic groups accepting a leader who's not one of them.
Democracy: A full-blown democracy right from the start. This will improve America's standing in the wider world (and probably among the populations of the Muslim countries), but will infuriate the leaders of the undemocratic nations surrounding Iraq. There's a serious danger of Islamic extremists getting power, not to mention the assorted ethnicities trying to secede.
These are the three main options. There are others, such as annexation or anarchy, but I think that they're realistic.
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