Iraq is Sovereign?

Not so much. Blackwater is back on the job.

Iraq is as sovereign as Vichy France was. Or maybe Norway under Vidkun Quisling. Blackwater's goons can and have killed people for no goddamn reason and they have never been held to account for it.

If part of the job of the American forces in Iraq is to win the battle of persuasion, Blackwater is not just pissing in the well, they are dumping poison in it. It's pretty hard to conduct effective diplomacy when you go to meetings surrounded by your private army of untouchable stormtroopers.