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NYT: Military Will Govern Iraq

The New York Times reported on Friday that the Bush Administration is considering a provisional military government in Iraq, similar to MacArthur's military government in post-war Japan. The plan includes indicting Iraqi officials for war crimes, and after "months or years" would become an elected civilian government. In the meantime, any partners in the US-led coalition would share in the duties of administration, sharing in Iraqi oil revenues in the process. This "occupation government" design is a change from the previously assumed plans to use Iraqi dissidents to form the basis for a civilian government. The White House acknowledged that it was considering a number of possible post-war sceanrios, and that this was one of the least likely.

AP has the Arab League and Iraqi dissidents opposed to the move, for specious reasons.

The Guardian, on the other hand, has the primary Iraqi opposition group, the Iraqi National Congress supporting the action. The Guardian also reiterates a point in the NYT piece about the US concern over infighting between Iraqi ethnic groups, and its reluctance to place any weapons of mass destruction in the hands of an unstable government or worse, an outright anarchy.

CNN has the administration actively refuting the NYT story, citing the same press conference covered by AP and Reuters.

Secretary of State Colin Powell had an interview on National Public Radio's All Things Considered [realaudio], in which he admits that a military government is a possibility.

The Boston Globe has the plan "all but discounted," and a sources says that the previously leaked plans to use indigenous ethnic groups to form a provisional government, like Afghanistan, is more likely.