| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"Bill Rood" |
| Date: |
16 Apr 2004 09:08:30 PM |
| Object: |
The folly of phony "democratization" |
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The United States has repeatedly refused to allow elections for the
government that is to run Iraq when it regains sovereignty on July 1.
For the United States, dealing with an elected body that would
forcefully challenge coalition policies and demand a real say in running
the country would be a battle of endless embarrassments.
So the coalition has put democracy on hold until it can be safely
managed. It is a disastrous policy. After the devastation of a war and
an occupation whose only acceptable rationale - for Iraqis - was the
promise of democracy, Iraqis will countenance nothing less.
By resisting a democratic solution, Paul Bremer, the U.S. proconsul in
Iraq, has seriously undermined United Nations Secretary-General Kofi
Annan and Ali al-Sistani, the revered Grand Ayatollah who has helped
keep Iraqi Shiites from taking up arms against the occupation. Iraqis
and the international community depend on both these moderate leaders to
help engineer a successful end to the occupation, which is ruining Iraq,
adding to world instability and taking scores of lives every month.
....
On both the question of elections and a democratically written
constitution, the United States has been on the wrong side of the
equation. As a result, its actions undercut its own central claim that
it fought this immensely costly war for Iraqis' freedom from tyranny.
The basis for the current Shia revolt was, therefore, being steadily
laid by such short-sighted, anti-democratic policies, as well as by the
growing public refrain that the United States would need to station
troops in Iraq for years in order to ensure that the country stayed on
the "right" path.
Then Mr. Bremer initiated major new anti-Fallujah and anti-Sadr
offensives simultaneously, uniting both Sunnis and Shiites in an
anti-U.S. fury.
The damage that has been inflicted on the UN during these events is
long-term, and will seriously hobble its ability to play the role of an
honest broker between Iraqis; and between Iraq, the United States and
the international community.
Credible arguments were marshalled to support the UN decisions in favour
of the U.S. positions, but the crisis over elections that needed to be
addressed was not technical but political. So the United Nations ended
up intensifying the crisis it needed to resolve, appearing pro-U.S.
again, and anti-Iraqi and anti-democratic to boot - a terrible mistake
if the UN is to return to Iraq with any measure of credibility and,
indeed, safety.
A recent Pew Research Center poll showed that the UN image has fallen to
abysmally low levels in the Arab and Muslim worlds, and that it is vital
that the organization correct its excessive U.S. tilt. It will only be
able to do that if the United States itself recognizes that it cannot
seek legitimacy from a UN undermined by the excessive U.S. pressure
routinely placed on the Secretary-General and the institution itself.
Ending the Iraqi occupation is an essential first step to creating a
stable and more secure world. No one would benefit more from such
stability than the world's sole superpower.
At the moment, U.S. policy is built on needless confrontations - with
Muslims in particular - which isolate it and expose it and its allies to
real danger. Worldwide, the vast majority of Muslims are backing the
Iraqi insurgency, in part because they feel that a U.S. defeat in Iraq
would prevent the United States from attacking and occupying other
Muslim countries. However, these same Muslims would warmly welcome an
honourable U.S. exit from Iraq. The United States needs to reach out in
a dramatic way to aggrieved Muslims; only the building of a positive
relationship will undermine the roots of terrorism and build support for
joint action against it.
Salim Lone was director of communications for the UN mission in Iraq
headed by the late Sergio Vieira de Mello last year.
Full text:
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040415.wleon0415/BNStory/Front/
--
Bill Rood
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<p>Excerpt:<br>
</p>
<p><br>
The United States has repeatedly refused to allow elections for the government
that is to run Iraq when it regains sovereignty on July 1. For the United
States, dealing with an elected body that would forcefully challenge coalition
policies and demand a real say in running the country would be a battle of
endless embarrassments.</p>
<p>So the coalition has put democracy on hold until it can be safely managed.
It is a disastrous policy. After the devastation of a war and an occupation
whose only acceptable rationale - for Iraqis - was the promise of democracy,
Iraqis will countenance nothing less.</p>
<p>By resisting a democratic solution, Paul Bremer, the U.S. proconsul in
Iraq, has seriously undermined United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan
and Ali al-Sistani, the revered Grand Ayatollah who has helped keep Iraqi
Shiites from taking up arms against the occupation. Iraqis and the international
community depend on both these moderate leaders to help engineer a successful
end to the occupation, which is ruining Iraq, adding to world instability
and taking scores of lives every month.<br>
</p>
<p>...<br>
</p>
<p>On both the question of elections and a democratically written constitution,
the United States has been on the wrong side of the equation. As a result,
its actions undercut its own central claim that it fought this immensely costly
war for Iraqis' freedom from tyranny. The basis for the current Shia revolt
was, therefore, being steadily laid by such short-sighted, anti-democratic
policies, as well as by the growing public refrain that the United States
would need to station troops in Iraq for years in order to ensure that the
country stayed on the "right" path.</p>
<p>Then Mr. Bremer initiated major new anti-Fallujah and anti-Sadr offensives
simultaneously, uniting both Sunnis and Shiites in an anti-U.S. fury.</p>
<p>The damage that has been inflicted on the UN during these events is long-term,
and will seriously hobble its ability to play the role of an honest broker
between Iraqis; and between Iraq, the United States and the international
community.</p>
<p>Credible arguments were marshalled to support the UN decisions in favour
of the U.S. positions, but the crisis over elections that needed to be addressed
was not technical but political. So the United Nations ended up intensifying
the crisis it needed to resolve, appearing pro-U.S. again, and anti-Iraqi
and anti-democratic to boot - a terrible mistake if the UN is to return to
Iraq with any measure of credibility and, indeed, safety.</p>
<p>A recent Pew Research Center poll showed that the UN image has fallen to
abysmally low levels in the Arab and Muslim worlds, and that it is vital that
the organization correct its excessive U.S. tilt. It will only be able to
do that if the United States itself recognizes that it cannot seek legitimacy
from a UN undermined by the excessive U.S. pressure routinely placed on the
Secretary-General and the institution itself.</p>
<p>Ending the Iraqi occupation is an essential first step to creating a stable
and more secure world. No one would benefit more from such stability than
the world's sole superpower.</p>
<p>At the moment, U.S. policy is built on needless confrontations - with Muslims
in particular - which isolate it and expose it and its allies to real danger.
Worldwide, the vast majority of Muslims are backing the Iraqi insurgency,
in part because they feel that a U.S. defeat in Iraq would prevent the United
States from attacking and occupying other Muslim countries. However, these
same Muslims would warmly welcome an honourable U.S. exit from Iraq. The
United States needs to reach out in a dramatic way to aggrieved Muslims; only
the building of a positive relationship will undermine the roots of terrorism
and build support for joint action against it.</p>
<p><i>Salim Lone was director of communications for the UN mission in Iraq
headed by the late Sergio Vieira de Mello last year.</i></p>
Full text: <a
href="http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040415.wleon0415/BNStory/Front/">http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040415.wleon0415/BNStory/Front/</a><br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="$mailwrapcol">--
Bill Rood</pre>
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