Finding the Balance in Iraq

The U.S. is having difficulty governing Iraq, but it is unlikely to find it easier to decide when to leave. A Monday meeting at United Nations headquarters in New York can make progress toward determining when to hand over political authority, but it will require compromises from everyone there.

Delegates from the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council should be prepared to face Iraqi voters sooner rather than later and not depend on Washington to keep them in power indefinitely. The U.N. should be ready to return its international staff to Iraq even before June 30, the deadline the United States set to give power to the Iraqis. The U.S. should be prepared to let the deadline slip, if necessary, but not indefinitely.

Monday’s meeting will not include Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, who has much to say in determining Iraq’s future. He is the most revered clergyman for the country’s Shiite Muslims, who account for more than half the population. He has counseled patience with the occupation, but for months he has insisted on direct elections of an Iraqi government to replace the Governing Council. The U.S. contends that it cannot enroll voters and hold an election by June 30; instead, it wants to use caucuses to choose an interim administration.

Sistani, who communicates with the U.S. through his aides, should understand that the next election, although important, will not be the last one. He cannot have veto power over U.S. actions. But Washington should try to accommodate his wishes as much as possible. It will not do to hand over the government by June 30 if the main motive is to minimize the war and aftermath as issues in the U.S. presidential election. Nearly 500 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq, more than 300 of them because of hostile action. Leaving Iraq prematurely and risking chaos spilling over to neighboring countries would be a betrayal.

The U.S. stiff-arming of the United Nations was a mistake. The U.N. has no objection to the U.S. controlling security in Iraq, but it doesn’t want to be seen as merely doing Washington’s bidding -- especially after its top envoy in the country was killed in an August bombing. The U.N. said this week it would send a small team to Baghdad soon to study the security. That could be an important first step toward installing U.N. staff experienced in rebuilding war-torn countries.

Iraq needs international experts on staffing ministries, distributing food, opening voting rolls and holding elections. That assistance should quiet misguided critics who question the U.N.’s relevance.

The U.S. is likely to keep troops in Iraq for years after Iraqis start to govern themselves. Washington must find the line between keeping political power too long -- angering Iraqis even more -- and yielding it too soon. To reach that goal, it must seek more help than it has. Listening closely to the U.N. and important Iraqis is a good start.