April 19, 2004, 8:53 a.m.
The L Word
How to gain legitimacy in Iraq.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article appears in the May 3, 2004, issue of National Review.

Malcolm Muggeridge was fond of citing this sentence from a Manchester Guardian editorial — "One is sometimes tempted to believe that the Greeks do not want a stable government" — as the epitome of high-minded liberal cant in foreign policy. Substitute "Iraqis" for "Greeks," however, and in the light of current events it seems more like hard-headed realism. In particular it illuminates the difficulties surrounding a major theme of current U.S. policy — the quest for a legitimate Iraqi authority.

Legitimacy in Iraq today is considered vital for two reasons: The Iraqi people would presumably be more willing to give active support to a governing authority that had some legitimacy, and such a government would have the moral confidence to suppress riots and punish troublemakers like Moqtada al-Sadr. But where is such legitimacy to be found? Who can claim it?

The U.S. can claim only short-term legitimacy as an occupying power. Right of conquest is no longer considered the basis of legitimate government internationally. Nor does the U.S. wish to establish a permanent colonial government in Baghdad. And even if it did, the fact that the U.S. is not an Islamic power would maximize popular opposition to its permanent rule over Muslims. Its legitimacy would need to be constantly replenished by force — in effect, by successive conquests — as British rule was in the 1920s. Very few people in Washington want that.

YOU CAN READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE IN THE CURRENT ISSUE OF THE NEW DIGITAL VERSION OF NATIONAL REVIEW. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A SUBSCRIPTION TO NR DIGITAL OR NATIONAL REVIEW, YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR A SUBSCRIPTION TO NATIONAL REVIEW here OR NATIONAL REVIEW DIGITAL here (a subscription to NR includes Digital access).

*   *   *

YOU’RE NOT A SUBSCRIBER TO NATIONAL REVIEW? Sign up right now! It’s easy: Subscribe to National Review here, or to the digital version of the magazine here. You can even order a subscription as a gift: print or digital!