Iraq Reclaims Sovereignty

The start of 2009 marks a big change for the American role in Iraq. While midnight rang in January 1, a small ceremony played out inside a former Saddam Hussein palace in Baghdad. The United States handed over control of Iraqi airspace and the Green Zone to the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki under the terms of the new "status of forces" agreement between the two countries.

The Washington Post wrote:

"On January 1, we are going to control this," Adnan Karim, 22, an Iraqi soldier manning a checkpoint at one of the entrances to the Green Zone, said, beaming. "The U.S. will be here just as observers. It's a matter of pride."

In honor of these developments, Al-Maliki says he will propose January 1 as a national holiday to commemorate "Sovereignty Day."

More:

• 'Sovereignty Day': Iraq Reclaims Green Zone, Airspace, from Wired's Danger Room blog
• As Clock Strikes 12, U.S. Hands Iraq Control of Green Zone, the Washington Post
• Iraq takes control of Green Zone from US, the Associated Press

Update: Just days after the above ceremony, the United States opened its new embassy in Baghdad. According to this report from Foreign Policy Passport, the new embassy is 6 times larger than the United Nations complex in New York... and 10 times larger than the (now) second largest U.S. embassy (which is in Beijing).