the story that buried the supreme court decisions today was the surprise 2 day premature "transfer of sovereignty" in iraq. the transfer was supposed to mean an "end of the occupation" by american forces. but i think they're just playing games.
"occupation" means "control of a nation or territory by foreign armed forces"
so what will post-occupation iraq look like? well, iraq's new prime minister iyad allawi has proposed martial law. president bush just endorsed the idea too.
"martial law" means "Temporary rule by military authorities." but what military is there in iraq today? iraqi forces are still being trained. right now, there is no military to rule if martial law is declared.
except the american military, that is. if a military is called on to enforce martial law in iraq, it will almost certainly be the u.s. military. but if the u.s. military enforces martial law, iraq will still be controlled by foreign armed forces.
in other words, if martial law is declared, iraq is still occupied. indeed, the second definition listed for "martial law" is: " The law imposed on an occupied territory by occupying military forces."
just something to think about
