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Editorial: On Iraq El Pais, Madrid May 20 Iraq continues to be engulfed in chaos six weeks after U.S. troops entered Baghdad. Basic services have not been fully re-established in the urban centers and security has deteriorated to such an extent that the Iraqi capital is an outlaw's city in which there are repeated clashes between gangs of looters and citizens obliged to adopt self-protection measures. .....The removal of Jay Garner shows Washington recognizes the failure of the former general to fulfill the United States' obligations as an occupying power. ....Bush ordered the advance on Iraq convinced that the population would welcome his soldiers as liberators, in such a way that the problems resulting from the collapse of the state would be handled in a climate of cooperation. It hasn't been that way. (Paul) Bremer's mission may take a year, a more realistic time limit than initially imagined. But the new strong man faces the paradox of Washington accepting a longer stay while time is no longer playing in its favor. The passivity of the occupying troops toward a situation they themselves have created has intensified the apprehension of the Iraqis, opening up an abysm of mistrust which particularly affects the chances of imposing an interim government. The Indianapolis Star May 15 The war in Iraq proved the superiority of the U.S. military. But even before 3rd Division troops arrived in Baghdad, it was painfully obvious too little thought and planning had been given to what the United States and coalition partners would do once their military objectives were achieved. ... Because of the strife, international aid workers couldn't bring in food. Engineers couldn't restore electricity or running water. Jay Garner and his staff of 200 workers, charged with establishing an interim civil administration in Iraq, had to cool their heels in Kuwait. If the United States is to be the world's policeman - and often it must - it has to have a cadre of cops to deploy as soon as the battlefield is won. There are pros and cons as to whether such a policing force should be assembled within the armed forces - as an extension, say, of the Military Police - or as a separate entity. ... This nation needs to revise its military planning and build a seamless apparatus that couples military capability with the restoration of order, the delivery of humanitarian aid and nation building. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -