Violence is increasing. Infrastructure is still in disrepair. The whole world feels that the current government is merely a puppet of the United States. But according to President Bush's senior adviser on Iraq, Lt. Douglas E. Lute, "Iraq is increasingly capable of standing on its own."
Lute's statement came in response to a vague, ambiguous, non-binding agreement negotiated between Bush and Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, which effectively guarantees relations between the US and Iraq post-Bush. The declaration calls for the U.N. mandated control of Iraq, a condition that has been in effect since sanctions were put into place in 1990, to be extended one year. It will then replaced at the end of 2008 with bilateral governing the of economic, political and security aspects of the US/Iraq relationship - in other words, the US-led occupation will continue without a UN mandate.
It's dealings like this that make it clear the Bush Administration is looking to save face and abandon ship prior to his departure from office. Though there are no moves to leave Iraq militarily, politically the US is not making clear commitments to reconstruction.
Violence is continuing to increase and there is less support for the reconstruction effort.
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