Decentralize, Don't Divide
Giving Kurds, Shiites, Sunnis their own regions would maintain unity.
By Joseph Biden
USA Today
May 8, 2006
President Bush does not have a strategy for victory in Iraq. His strategy is to prevent defeat and to hand the problem off to his successor. Meanwhile, the frustration of Americans is mounting so fast that Congress might end up mandating a rapid withdrawal, even at the risk of trading a dictator for chaos.
Both are bad alternatives.
There is a third way. The idea is to maintain a unified Iraq by decentralizing it and giving Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis their own regions. The central government would be left in charge of common interests, such as border security and the distribution of oil revenue. Everything I'm proposing is already in Iraq's constitution.
My plan would guarantee the Sunnis a proportionate share of oil revenue. It would tie economic aid to the protection of minorities' and women's rights. It would require a regional non-aggression pact. And it would allow us to responsibly withdraw most U.S. forces from Iraq by 2008 — enough time for a settlement to take hold.
What I'm proposing is not partition; in fact, it might be the only way to prevent partition. Violence between the Shiites and Sunnis has surpassed the insurgency as the main security threat. Ethnic militias increasingly are the law in Iraq. They have infiltrated the official security forces. Sectarian cleansing has begun in mixed areas, where tens of thousands of Iraqis have been fleeing their homes in recent weeks.
The only way to hold Iraq together and create conditions for our troops to responsibly withdraw is to give Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds room to breathe in their own regions.
Ten years ago, Bosnia was being torn apart by ethnic cleansing. The United States stepped in decisively with the Dayton Accords to keep the country whole by dividing it into ethnic federations. We even allowed Muslims, Croats and Serbs to retain separate armies. With the help of U.S. troops and others, Bosnians have lived a decade in peace. Now, they are strengthening their central government and disbanding their armies.
My plan would leapfrog Iraq to Dayton — and over a terrible civil war. It can bring our troops home, protect our security interests and preserve Iraq as a unified country. The question I have for those who reject this plan is simple: What is your alternative?
Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware is the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.
By Joseph Biden
USA Today
May 8, 2006
President Bush does not have a strategy for victory in Iraq. His strategy is to prevent defeat and to hand the problem off to his successor. Meanwhile, the frustration of Americans is mounting so fast that Congress might end up mandating a rapid withdrawal, even at the risk of trading a dictator for chaos.
Both are bad alternatives.
There is a third way. The idea is to maintain a unified Iraq by decentralizing it and giving Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis their own regions. The central government would be left in charge of common interests, such as border security and the distribution of oil revenue. Everything I'm proposing is already in Iraq's constitution.
My plan would guarantee the Sunnis a proportionate share of oil revenue. It would tie economic aid to the protection of minorities' and women's rights. It would require a regional non-aggression pact. And it would allow us to responsibly withdraw most U.S. forces from Iraq by 2008 — enough time for a settlement to take hold.
What I'm proposing is not partition; in fact, it might be the only way to prevent partition. Violence between the Shiites and Sunnis has surpassed the insurgency as the main security threat. Ethnic militias increasingly are the law in Iraq. They have infiltrated the official security forces. Sectarian cleansing has begun in mixed areas, where tens of thousands of Iraqis have been fleeing their homes in recent weeks.
The only way to hold Iraq together and create conditions for our troops to responsibly withdraw is to give Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds room to breathe in their own regions.
Ten years ago, Bosnia was being torn apart by ethnic cleansing. The United States stepped in decisively with the Dayton Accords to keep the country whole by dividing it into ethnic federations. We even allowed Muslims, Croats and Serbs to retain separate armies. With the help of U.S. troops and others, Bosnians have lived a decade in peace. Now, they are strengthening their central government and disbanding their armies.
My plan would leapfrog Iraq to Dayton — and over a terrible civil war. It can bring our troops home, protect our security interests and preserve Iraq as a unified country. The question I have for those who reject this plan is simple: What is your alternative?
Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware is the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.
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