September 9, 2003

WE WERE PROMISED A QUAGMIRE, DAMMIT!:

No combat deaths in Iraq for a week (AP, September 9, 2003)

For the seventh day in a row, the U.S. military reported no combat deaths Monday -- a rare period of calm.

Oh dear, that's not a story the defeatists were looking for...

Nor this one, U.S. occupation of Iraq gets a boost (MOHAMED KHALIFA, September 9, 2003, Chicago Sun-Times)

The Arab League unanimously granted the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council the Baghdad seat on the pan-Arab body early today -- delivering a major lift to the Bush administration's post-war occupation.

The decision ended weeks of debate within the 22-member League over whether to recognize Iraq's interim authority, with opponents fearing that acceptance of the interim Iraqi authority could be seen as a sign of support for the American invasion.


Anyone know offhand when the first times was that the new governments of Germany and Japan were allowed to meet and deal with international bodies after WWII?

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 9, 2003 12:11 PM
Comments

I know West Germany didn't join NATO until 1954.

Posted by: Chris Durnell at September 9, 2003 12:43 PM

I knew something was up yesterday when NPR led with two soldiers having been injured in Iraq. They had not previously been reporting injuries. When I got to work, I saw the story about no combat deaths for a week.

Today, NPR led with more injuries.

Posted by: David Cohen at September 9, 2003 2:05 PM

Western Germany formed its first federal government in 1949. It was co-founded the European Community of Coal and Steel (1951 I think). I'm not sure when it was allowed to join the UN though.

And let's not forget that it didn't become fully sovereign until after the 4 + 2 Treaty leading to the reunification with the former Soviet protectorate of Eastern Germany. That was some 45 years after the end of WWII.

Posted by: Peter at September 9, 2003 2:27 PM

Agree that no casualties for a week is good news that isn't being reported (still hear stories referring to the "mounting death toll")
As for joining the Arab league - in the short it helps legitimize the new government but in the long run does the new Iraq government run the risk of deteorating back to being like the other Arab governments?

Posted by: AWW at September 9, 2003 2:42 PM

Let's hope that Paul Bremer (and Abizad?) are telling the Iraqi council that they can run the show at the Arab League next year if they can act like men instead of braying donkeys.

Posted by: jim hamlen at September 9, 2003 2:51 PM
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