Mounting violence in Iraq

The growing civil resistance -- which the Bush administration still refuses to call or recognise as a movement to free Iraq of foreign occupation -- leaves the US president with only two options. First, he can deploy more troops, a stock response which will amount to admitting that even the huge presence of American troops in the occupied country is not enough to counter the guerilla warfare launched by Iraqis. Second, it is not too late for the US to realise that the most pragmatic alternative to dragging on the unjust war is to allow the Iraqis full control of their own country.

There are certain points to consider. People of a civilised and historically proud society do not acquiesce in foreign occupation -- an elementary lesson the US does not yet acknowledge, far less pays heed to. It went to the war riding a lie about the WMD in the first place, and the lie is steadily stripping away whatever justification they pretended to have while pouncing on Iraq.

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Now the chorus is heard loud and clear from the comity of nations that occupation of a country is repugnant to the sensibilities of its citizens. But it is a great deal more difficult for President Bush to ignore the call now, as his Iraq mission is showing all the signs of getting stuck, far short of the goals envisaged by him and his advisers.

It is pointless to term the attacks on US soldiers and other installations as the misdeeds of Saddam's followers as long as the new Iraq administration is seen as a puppet in the hands of the occupying power.

Washington should waste no more time in accepting the global demand that the UN be given the central role in the reconstruction of the war-ravaged country, restoration of its sovereignty and evolution of a political system that will lead to democratic governance. Only then can the Bush administration hope to get support of Iraqi people. It will also help end the war which has so far proved very costly in terms of both men and material.