Reporting from Baghdad — At a moment of triumph, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki stood before a room full of reporters recently and publicly fretted about Iraq's future.
After six years, U.S. troops were completing their withdrawal from Iraqi cities, the first step toward their complete departure by the end of 2011. The prime minister has declared today's deadline a holiday. And yet, Maliki acknowledged: "The challenge isn't finished. . . . What country in the world has such terrorist attacks?"
Maliki described a nation that may be too feeble to overcome its legacy of violence and corruption.
"I want [Iraq] to stand on its own feet," the prime minister said. He called on Iraqis to unite and do away with divisive, faction-based politics.
Maliki's extended question-and-answer session highlighted changes in Iraq in the last six years. Here was a leader engaging in a relatively frank public dialogue -- something that would have been unthinkable under Saddam Hussein, or in many of Iraq's neighbors even today.
That sense of openness is in part a reflection of U.S. efforts to build a more democratic system. His acknowledgment of the difficulties ahead is a testament to the mistakes on America's watch: a failure to avoid sectarian war, or to quickly rebuild the economy and government services.
Among Iraqi politicians and foreign diplomats alike, there are doubts about Maliki's ambitions. He is credited with helping stabilize the country, but is he intent on building an authoritarian state? Or will a semblance of Iraq's messy, consensus politics continue?
There were no dramatic last-minute scenes of U.S. troops pulling out of urban bases to meet today's deadline. They have been slowly leaving for months. Iraqi forces may call on them for support, but it is unclear that they will. What is certain, however, is that after invading the country and guiding it through the post-Hussein era, the United States has stepped off the main stage. Iraqis will decide whether the country is run by an accountable leadership, a repressive and undemocratic elite, or whether it slips back into civil war.
"Corruption and arbitrary use of force in violation of citizens' rights and human rights are still a great danger," said a Western advisor to the Iraqi government. "Everything is in play."
