In recent years, European countries and the United States, mandated by the United Nations, have committed themselves to the political reform and economic revitalisation of nations such as Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo.

But these experiences cannot be translated to a country is prized for its huge oil wealth and which retains a pivotal role in the Arab world.

Iraq remains the sole Arab country with not only the means -- such as an educated population and natural resources -- but also the political desire to become a regional power.

The US and British leaders promised Iraqis Thursday that they alone will govern their destiny and their country once the allies' troops have ended Saddam Hussein's "nightmare" regime.

But power outages and the collapse of Baghdad's television channels meant that the Iraqi population did not see the messages recorded by US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

"Our military forces will leave. Iraq will go forward as a unified, independent and sovereign nation that has regained a respected place in the world," said US President George W. Bush.

"This Iraq will not be run by Britain, or by the United States, or by the United Nations. It will be run by you, the people of Iraq," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush's closest ally in the military campaign.

In a bid to defuse widespread concerns in the Arab world and elsewhere, the two leaders said they had no designs on Iraq's oil wealth and that their 300,000 soldiers were liberating Iraq, not occupying it.

The politically correct intentions of the coalition have met great scepticism in Iraq and in a region that, at least on street level, has a great distrust for the United States, notably over its perceived pro-Israel bias.

And a day after the jubilant welcome accorded to US forces that rolled into central Baghdad by a population suppressed by Saddam Hussein's quarter-century rule of terror, most Baghdadis were more prudent.

The majority questioned by AFP said they were ready to thank the Americans for having got rid of Saddam, but they were quick to add that the coalition's stay in the Iraqi capital should not be a long one.

They also cast doubt on the exiled Iraqis Washington wants to promote in Iraq's new leadership.

Iraq's neighbours are equally worried by the US administration's latest foray.

Iran is one. Named by Bush, along with Iraq and North Korea, as making up an "axis of evil," it is today ringed by countries where the United States maintains a large military presence.

And Syria, ruled by a rival wing of the Baath Party that also governed Baghdad until the downfall of Saddam, has been accused by Washington of helping senior Iraqi leaders flee and sending military assistance into Iraq.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an interview Thursday to the Los Angeles Times newspaper, said US warnings to Syria and Iran should not, however, be interpreted as threats of war.

SPACE.WIRE