Submitted by Dr. Pary Karadaghi, Jan 3, 2007 14:50

There are aggravating points in the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study group who made 79 recommendations and claim that the costs associated with devolving Iraq into semiautonomous regions with a looser central government are too high, but the reality is a federal, democratic Iraq in which the regions are empowered with greater administrative powers is the best way to maintain peace and stability in Iraq given its multi-ethnic and multi-sectarian identity. It seems that the report writers did not pay attention to the will of the people of Iraq who voted unanimously for the Iraqi constitution in 2005. As the United States debates the course of action to take in Iraq, we should support the will of the people of Iraq because it is consistent with the United States national interests to ensure a stable and democratic Iraq that can counter terrorism in the region, and also because it is the form of government approved in Iraq's own democratically ratified constitution; a constitution that 12 million Iraqis voted for in the 2005 Referendum. Certainly the people of Iraq and Kurdistan oppose most of the recommendations but particularly Recommendation 28, which suggests that the operation and management of Iraq's oil fields in Iraqi Kurdistan and the development of fields in this region by the Kurdistan Regional Government are not compatible with national reconciliation. In fact, the Iraqi constitution supports a decentralized mechanism. Complete central government control of Iraq's oil fields is a recipe for disaster, as Iraq's history has made abundantly clear with the rule of Saddam Hussein. A new democratic Iraq must have the necessary recipe for accountability, rule of law, civil society and human rights that will prevent the return to power in Iraq to another dictatorship. In addition, Recommendation 30 which pertains to the future of the city of Kirkuk does not make any sense. The permanent constitution of Iraq pertaining to Kirkuk (Article 140) is the best way to implant a fair solution to this on-going problem. The Iraqi constitution calls for a referendum to be held no later than December 2007, to determine how Kirkuk will be governed. The Baker-Hamilton report calls for a delay in this referendum, jeopardizing further the current instability and security situation.

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