U.S. Now Taking Supporting Role in Iraq, Officials Say
/Three months after the handover of power, the interim government of
Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi is making most key decisions
politically and militarily, while the new U.S. Embassy is increasingly
deferring and acting in a supporting role, according to Iraqi and U.S.
officials. U.S. diplomats and military experts say the United States is
now doing what it should have done a year ago: ceding authority to
Iraqis; focusing on smaller, labor-intensive reconstruction projects to
generate jobs rather than big ventures by U.S. companies; and assuming
a low profile. [more 
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