One of my favourite bloggers, Benkerishan (arabic) touched upon a point that amply demonstrates how the goal posts have shifted with the result of the Iraqi elections: the incumbant president became a vice president, and no blood flowed in the process!
I agree with Benkerishan, this is unbelievable in “our” democracies: he argues that Al-Yawer should have killed all of his opponents or at least discredited them, put his tribesemen in positions of power so that they encircle and protect him, start steeling left right and centre, and citizens be damned. It is the Arab way which has been inherited for one and a half thousand years.
Therefore, I am immensely pleaseed to have lived long enough to witness such an event in my own lifetime, and I wish my Iraqi brothers and sisters the best of luck… they are leading the way to what we only hope to have a taste of: real democracy.
Comments
Moving goal posts…
Good news also that new president Jalal Talabini’s come out and said that he opposes the death penalty against Saddam Hussein. Talk about a clean break with the past. Get’s my utmost respect – timely recognition that you can’t solve problems by killing people.
Moving goal posts…
I truly respect the Iraqis, this is a tremendous step forward for a nation that has been crippled with wars. The situation is unfortunate at the moment, but the future although bleak looks somewhat promising.
Moving goal posts…
There is an interesting article in today’s Wall Street Journal about the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) by the US State Department, where it is trying to jump start democracy in Egypt by passing a million bucks around five different pro-democracy groups in order to establish the basic infrastructure for a representative government. It isn’t going well.
Many Egyptians consider such groups as traitors. The media calls them pro-Zionist, anti-Egyptian, and anti-Arab. The imams call them servants of the American infidels. The Egyptian parliament is investigating them and entertaining proposals to outlaw such grants.
Based on such visceral cultural resistance toward even baby steps toward democracy, I’d say Middle Eastern countries have a long wait if they expect to democratize themselves. They lack the will and the know-how to make it happen. The irony is that Iraq, by being the worst of the Middle Eastern countries, may become the best of them by virtue of the American invasion and the transformation forced upon it by our occupation.
Steve
PS. There was also an article about the Soviet space shuttle, the Buran, being stuck in Bahrain for years, stranded by a legal dispute.
Moving goal posts…
When you consider what Iraqis have been through in the last several decades, it is downright earthshattering to see where they are now. It is something most of us in the west never even consider or can fully understand. They have been to hell and back, and still they continue to try with a fresh hope that makes everyone stop and think twice about the human spirit.
As bad as it’s been and as bad as it is now, I can’t help but believe they have started on a historic journey that will benefit all Iraqis. It’s exciting to watch, and I hope with all my heart it will be a less bumpy road because their courage, dignity and heart is something to behold.