After Wednesday, the war in Iraq becomes Iraq's war. The transition to a sovereign government from U.S. control of the country is an inevitable and necessary step toward peace in that country - even if it is a step toward peace that may well lead to increased violence and the loss of more American lives in the short run.
Ironically, it may also lead to a loss of some of the liberties Iraqis have been promised since U.S. military forces ousted Saddam Hussein and his brutal regime. Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has talked of "martial law," including a crackdown on curfews and public demonstrations and an increase in the ability of authorities to search cars and homes.
To think an interim Iraqi government could succeed, or even survive, without U.S. help and without asserting its own strength would be naive. While American forces and contractors have done many things in Iraq, they have not succeeded in making most of the country secure.
Iraq is the front line in the war on terrorism. The recent bombings, beheadings and threats on Allawi's life are being credited to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant linked to al-Qaida.
The continued escalation of violence is the world's problem, yes, but it is foremost Iraq's problem. And the government must have the power to fight it.
"Whether this stops the fighting or not, we need to take the initiative away from our enemy so we're not always reacting what they do against us," said a spokesman for the new prime minister.
It's also the key to a lower profile for U.S. troops and their eventual withdrawal. Iraq's security forces aren't ready to stand on their own, so American soldiers will be instrumental in enforcing tighter restrictions.
But Iraq will never be strong enough to chart its own future as long as its enemies believe the U.S. is in charge.