Iraq's Unruly Opposition

The Iraqi conference held in London from Dec. 14-17 did not augur well for a smooth transition should Saddam Hussein be ousted. The meeting of regime opponents, which was sponsored by the U.S., saw some sharp dissension among participants. The most significant rift was between Shiite and Kurdish groups, which have support and men under arms on the ground, and Westernized exiles such as Iraqi National Congress leader Ahmad Chalabi, who have advanced the anti-Saddam case in Washington but have few links to Iraq. In the end, the differences were fudged by forming an unwieldy 65-member opposition coordinating committee, which will likely meet in January in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Edited by Rose Brady