Coalition transfers power to Iraqis

And a shift now to the international scene, as the American coalition transferred power to Iraqis two days early:

The handover of sovereignty took place earlier in the day, at 10:26 a.m. Baghdad time. The transfer of power came two days before the June 30 deadline previously announced by the U.S.-led coalition.

Some Iraqis dismissed the event as meaningless as long as U.S. troops occupy the nation and some said the handover was a step in the right direction.

The big question now is: what will the activists chant instead of the catchy “end the occupation”?

No, seriously, the big question is, of course, can they pull it off? Will the new Iraqi leadership be able to restore calm and govern somewhat democratically? Or will the chaos of the last few months only increase, as insurgents target the interim leadership for assassination, ensuring continuing violence?

A power struggle is virtually a guarantee, but questions still abound: Will the new leadership resort to martial law in order to instill calm? Even if they do so, will the military be effective against the terrorists? There have been reports that many members of the military are sympathetic to the terrorists, and refusing to follow the Iraqi leadership.

As much as I’d like to be optimistic, the whole handover of power has taken place at lightning-speed. I’m not sure that the Iraqi people will be able to support a democratic system, in the face of kidnappings, terror attacks, suicide bombings, and every effort to stop the process.

One thing is for certain: the world is watching. Unfortunately, more of the world seems to be hoping for the experiment to fail. And that, in the end, may be its ultimate undoing.