The 25 million of Iraqis are still suffering from the earth-shaking effects of the three-week war launched on Iraq on March 20 by US-led coalition forces, which successfully overthrew Saddam's regime.

However, scores of political parties and groups which flooded post-Saddam's Iraq have so far failed to fill in the big vacuum created by the dramatic downfall of the former president.

Saddam kept Iraq for almost a quarter century under his grip in a Machiavellian way, with both the carrot and the stick in his treatment of Iraqis.

What Iraqi people are in urgent need now is security, security and security.

But such security can only be brought about by a strong broad-based national government freely selected by the people from all religious, political and ethnic affiliations, so as to enjoy respect and trust of almost the majority of the people who had never enjoyed real freedom for almost centuries in succession.

However, in spite of the US-sponsored intensive consultations among the main Iraqi political groups, such a government remains up to now elusive.

Observers believe this is so because of the political rivalries and bickering among so many parties and groups, some of which were never heard of before April 9.

The absence of coherent common policies among the political groups is the main reason for keeping the political situation in Iraq so fluid.

Iraqis are now quick in laying almost the whole blame for the odd situation on the US-led coalition forces, which certainly failed to maintain security, law and order.

The failure of the US-led coalition forces to prevent looting and lawlessness, particularly the looting of the historic treasures of Iraqi museums, as well as the looting and arson in the Iraqi National Library, which was the home of 2-million books and rare manuscripts, has done a lot to discrediting these forces in the eyes of Iraqis.

They think that these forces are interested more in Iraq's oil than the safety of its people.

What authenticates such viewpoint is the heavy-handed measures the US troops used against Iraqi peaceful demonstrations in various Iraqi cities.

In Falloujah city, 60 km west of Baghdad, 16 unarmed civilians were killed by US troops in a cold-blood manner last week.

Furthermore, the US-appointed Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) under the command of US retired General Jay Garner failed in restoring power and water supplies and basic services to Iraqis, which have contributed to keeping the whole political situation in the oil-rich Iraq so fluid.

It makes almost most Iraqis pessimistic about the immediate future of their country.

(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2003)