How Can You Be Sovereign Under a Foreign Army?

Dahr Jamail tells what Iraqi sovereignty under the Status of Forces Agreementreally means:

Yet Maj. Gen. Daniel P. Bolger, a US military commander in Baghdad who is clearly taken aback by the new restrictions on US forces outlined in the SOFA, wrote in an email obtained by The Washington Post that the Iraqi order to sharply restrict the movement and activities of US forces runs "contrary to the spirit and practice of our last several months of operations." He then added, "Maybe something was 'lost in translation.' We are not going to hide our support role in the city. I'm sorry the Iraqi politicians lied/dissembled/spun, but we are not invisible nor should we be." Bolger said US troops intend to engage in combat operations in urban areas to avert or respond to threats, with or without help from the Iraqis, and wrote, "This is a broad right and it demands that we patrol, raid and secure routes as necessary to keep our forces safe. We'll do that, preferably partnered."