Iraq Explodes in Violence as Sunnis and Shiites Rise up to Oppose U.S. Occupation

Interview with Mel Goodman, former CIA analyst conducted by Scott Harris

With intensifying combat in the Sunni triangle and new attacks from a Shiite militia group, U.S. troops in Iraq are facing a dramatic escalation of violence and instability. In response to the killing and mutilation of four employees of a private security firm in Falluja, American forces mounted a massive assault on insurgents in this, city which has become a symbol of resistance to the U.S. occupation.

On a new and dangerous front, eight U.S. soldiers and dozens of Iraqis were killed in the first day of battles between American troops, and members of a militia group loyal to Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr. The fighting broke out after the U.S. closed down Sadr's newspaper and arrested his close associates. In response, the militia group launched an uprising in six Iraqi cities. The U.S. occupation authority has since issued an arrest warrant for Sadr on charges connected to the murder of a rival cleric, but the Shiite leader's followers vowed to prevent his capture. Growing resentment of the American occupation in Iraq has led to an unlikely alliance of some Shiites and Sunnis now united in their calls for a withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Despite the increasing violence and chaos, President Bush maintains that a transfer of power from U.S. authority to an interim Iraqi government will proceed as scheduled on June 30. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with former CIA analyst Mel Goodman, a professor at the National War College and author of the book, "Bush League Diplomacy." Goodman assesses the dangers ahead for the U.S. military in Iraq, whose citizens are ever more hostile to continued U.S. occupation.

Mel Goodman is a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy. Goodman's book, "Bush League Diplomacy: How the Neo-Conservatives are Putting the World at Risk", is published by Prometheus Books Contact the Center by calling (202) 232-3317 or visit their website at: www.ciponline.org

Related links

The Center for International Policy's National Security Program

"Staying in Iraq," by William Rivers Pitt, truthout Perspective, April 6, 2004

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