U.S. gives old allies a chance to reunite in rebuilding Iraq

The United States is giving France and Germany an opportunity to take some giant steps in healing the rift that developed during the run-up to the war in Iraq.
The Bush administration is seeking a new U.N. resolution authorizing a multinational peacekeeping force in Iraq and giving the United Nations some say in shaping postwar Iraq.
This is a dramatic reversal of White House policy -- which had been that the United States and Great Britain would pretty much go it alone in rebuilding Iraq, just as they had been forced to go it alone in deposing Saddam Hussein.
France and Germany could choose to react with a combination of arrogance and obstinateness and block a larger U.N. role in Iraq. As members of the security council, they have that power. But that would be a bad idea.
Good riddance
First, even those who disagreed with the U.S. offensive in Iraq have to acknowledge that Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator who should have been removed from power a long time ago. If he had been deposed long ago, tens of thousands of innocent lives would have been spared. And now he's gone.
Second, if Germany, France and the United States don't make peace between themselves now, their international relationships are only going to become more strained. That doesn't help anyone.
The White House goal is a U.N. mission under a unified command with the United States in charge. Reportedly, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has signed off on the arrangement.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says he has talked with the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Russia and the "reaction so far is positive."
But Thursday, French President Jacques Chirac, who held a regularly scheduled meeting with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Dresden, Germany, told reporters that the U.S. proposal "seems rather far from what we see as the foremost objective, which is the transfer of political responsibility to an Iraqi government as rapidly as possible." Schroeder called the U.S. proposal "not dynamic enough, not sufficient."
But significantly, they did not reject it out of hand and they would be wise to look for ways that will allow them to support the U.S. plan without losing face. The White House has already made a huge concession by seeking U.N. participation and is putting the nation's prestige on the line.
Win or lose
If Chirac and Schroeder do not recognize this, or if they choose to punish the United States for taking the initiative in Iraq, everyone loses.
The Iraqi people will lose because it will take that much longer to restore order in the nation. France, Germany and the United States will lose because rancorous relations will creep into every aspect of trade and cooperation between the nations.
The Bush administration envisions the bulk of the 150,000 U.S. troops out of Iraq in 18 months to two years, to be replaced by a multinational peacekeeping mission similar to the one in Bosnia and Kosovo. To accomplish that, the United Nations is essential.
Nations like India, Turkey, Pakistan and Bangladesh say they would participate if the United Nations authorizes it. And their presence would free U.S. troops from the static task of guarding infrastructure to chasing down the bad guys and intercepting the jihadists slipping into the country.
France and Germany can demonstrate the maturity that is to be expected from First World nations, or they can join in a chorus of we told you sos trading their momentary satisfaction for years of strained relations with the United States. We hope they choose wisely.