Iraq Benchmark Report Fact Check

[Barrett808]

Benchmark Report Fact Check
By Ilan Goldenberg

The National Security Network reviewed the benchmarks labeled by the Bush Administration as "satisfactory." Unfortunately the facts show that this moniker is misleading. Some benchmarks claimed as "satisfactory" only demonstrate minimal progress, not achievement. Others have been achieved on the surface, but fail to accomplish the overall purpose of the specific measurement. A point-by-point analysis follows.

Benchmark (i)

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Assessment: The Government of Iraq has made satisfactory progress toward forming a Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) and then completing the constitutional review.

Response: The committee reviewing the constitution has experienced numerous delays. Most of the highly contested issues have been put off. Even if the government managed to pass the constitution, there would still need to be a national referendum.

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The initial version of the constitution drafted in 2005 was viewed as unfair by the Sunnis, who only accepted it after a clause was added to allow them to amend it later. The key issues regarding the constitution are: federalism, or the right of provinces to attain “regional” status with more power than one province alone, the future of a referendum on the status of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, whether Iraq should be considered an Arab country, and the reduction of the power of the Prime Minister while granting more power to the President. The way the Constitution is currently structured, Sunnis are put at a significant disadvantage on all of these fronts. (NY Times, 6/13/2007. Iraq Slogger, 5/17/07)

The Constitutional Review Committee has been slow to show progress. The Committee was originally scheduled to complete its work by May 15. Instead, it delivered a draft that did not address many of the key issues, and tried to pass the responsibility off to the political leadership. The deadline has been extended multiple times because of a failure to come to an agreement. A new draft is due at the end of July. One of the leaders of the Committee, Sheik Humam Hamoudi, believes that it might take even longer stating, “We have not committed to doing it by September... Maybe the American Congress has made such a commitment, but we have not.” (Washington Post, 6/27/07. NY Times, 6/13/2007.)

Even if the Constitutional Committee came to an agreement on step one, actually getting the amendments passed would be extraordinarily complicated. The parliament must vote on the amendments after they make it out of committee. If they pass parliament, the amendments must then win a majority from the public in a nationwide referendum. As an additional hurdle, at least three of Iraq’s eighteen provinces would have to register two-thirds approval. (Council on Foreign Relations, 05/15/07)

(much more)

http://www.nsnetwork.org/node/168