NYT – It is difficult to tell if the recent assertion of authority by the Iraqi government following the withdrawal of US troops is a good sign. Many of the contractors detained work for the United States embassy. These detentions, however, are not an indication that the Iraqi government is growing unfriendly to American interests in the region at the moment; many of these operations were similar to those conducted by US troops. The question remains, how will this posturing manifest in the future?