Ten months into the President’s surge strategy meant to create “space” for political reconciliation across the country, Iraqi political leaders are declaring failure. Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih told the Washington Post, “I don’t think there is something called reconciliation, and there will be no reconciliation as such.”

“‘There has been no significant progress for months,’ said Tariq al-Hashimi, one of Iraq’s two vice presidents and the most influential Sunni politician in the country. ‘There is a shortage of goodwill from those parties who are now in the driver’s seat of the country.’”

UPDATE: Some Iraqi leaders are claiming that the government structure established by the United States in 2003 actually “entrenches sectarian divisions.”

In 2003, the U.S. government handpicked a 25-member Iraqi Governing Council — including 13 Shiites and five Sunni Arabs — that would mirror the population’s majority Shiite makeup…This imperfect balance of power, deemed the “national unity government,” entrenches these sectarian divisions and prioritizes a politician’s ethnic or sect background above experience or ability, Iraqi officials say. The system makes selecting Iraqi ambassadors or cabinet ministers an exercise in horse-trading subject to bitter disputes.

UPDATE II: In a September interview posted on the State Department website, Iraqi Ambassador Ryan Crocker explained that “achieving security is relatively easy compared to a political solution which is more complicated and needs time.” Crocker emphasized that “the most important thing here [in Iraq] is national reconciliation…Iraqis do believe that if national reconciliation is achieved, it will provide the right condition fort the withdrawal of coalition forces…”

But if the above story is any indication, Iraqi politicians disagree with the American position. Instead, they are calling for a “government of majority.” Where does this leave the US? President Bush has called Iraq a “sovereign nation.” Will he continue to force-feed Iraqis “national reconciliation,” or will he allow the Iraqis to govern their country in their own way? Bet on the former.

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