Despite deposing and executing Saddam Hussein, on the pretext of "democratising" Iraq, it seems that the US mission to bring "freedom" to the people of Iraq has failed.
The Washington Post reports that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is using special forces to deal with demonstrations in Iraq:
"Witnesses in Baghdad and as far north as Kirkuk described watching last week as security forces in black uniforms, tracksuits and T-shirts roared up in trucks and Humvees, attacked protesters, rounded up others from cafes and homes and hauled them off, blindfolded, to army detention centres."
Out of the ashes of one dictatorship it seems that a new one is emerging.
As I have noted several times before, you cannot impose democracy on a society or country using the barrel of a gun.
Showing posts with label democracy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label democracy. Show all posts
Friday, March 04, 2011
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Unrest Continues
Despite being "democratised", Iraq has not escaped the wave of unrest that is sweeping across the Middle East.
Rallies across Iraq, calling for more accountability from elected leaders and better services, have intensified. As such, Baghdad's mayor (Saber al-Issawi) has become the third official to resign this month.
Democracy, when imposed on a country, is not a short term immediate fix for a country's and society's ills. It will take many years to "bed down", and until then the country will be vulnerable to destabilisation by fanatics, bullies and idiots.
Rallies across Iraq, calling for more accountability from elected leaders and better services, have intensified. As such, Baghdad's mayor (Saber al-Issawi) has become the third official to resign this month.
Democracy, when imposed on a country, is not a short term immediate fix for a country's and society's ills. It will take many years to "bed down", and until then the country will be vulnerable to destabilisation by fanatics, bullies and idiots.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Democracy Is Not a Quick Fix Panacea
The people of Iraq are learning that democracy is, in itself, not a quick fix panacea for a nation's ills (especially if there is a culture of corruption and nepotism firmly embedded in that society).
The head of Iraq's parliament has called for new provincial elections within three months, in the wake of anti-government protests across the country. The protests are in response to endemic corruption, a lack of basic services and the unapproachability of the Iraqi government based inside the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy is also based.
Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, undoubtedly fearing that he and his associates might be next in the "Jasmine Revolution" has given his cabinet a period of 100 days to shape up or ship out.
As to whether this is merely window dressing, for the benefit of a media headline, only time will tell.
The head of Iraq's parliament has called for new provincial elections within three months, in the wake of anti-government protests across the country. The protests are in response to endemic corruption, a lack of basic services and the unapproachability of the Iraqi government based inside the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy is also based.
Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, undoubtedly fearing that he and his associates might be next in the "Jasmine Revolution" has given his cabinet a period of 100 days to shape up or ship out.
As to whether this is merely window dressing, for the benefit of a media headline, only time will tell.
Monday, October 04, 2010
The Last Chance for Democracy
Despite the Iraq invasion being sold to the public as being for the "democratisation" of Iraq, it seems that "democracy" is still having trouble taking route in that wrecked country.
Ninevah provincial Gov. Atheel al-Nujaifi (a Sunni) issued a warning over the weekend that "last chance for democracy" could be derailed, if Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (a Shiite) retains power by making alliances with hardline Shiite factions and Kurds.
Democracy cannot be enforced on a country by outsiders with the barrel of a gun, the citizens of that country have to be left to find their own path to democracy.
Ninevah provincial Gov. Atheel al-Nujaifi (a Sunni) issued a warning over the weekend that "last chance for democracy" could be derailed, if Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (a Shiite) retains power by making alliances with hardline Shiite factions and Kurds.
Democracy cannot be enforced on a country by outsiders with the barrel of a gun, the citizens of that country have to be left to find their own path to democracy.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Britain Has Regrets
Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, will tell the UN today that Britain has regrets about the Iraq war.
He will say:
"In recent years we have learned – in some cases the hard way – that democracy cannot be created by diktat.
Freedom cannot be commanded into existence."
Quite!
I have said many times before that democracy cannot be imposed via the barrel of a gun, and that shouting "Yee Hah!" is not an effective tool of foreign policy.
He will say:
"In recent years we have learned – in some cases the hard way – that democracy cannot be created by diktat.
Freedom cannot be commanded into existence."
Quite!
I have said many times before that democracy cannot be imposed via the barrel of a gun, and that shouting "Yee Hah!" is not an effective tool of foreign policy.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Exaggeration
Sir Richard Dalton, Britain's ambassador in Tehran from 2003-06, has told the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war that both the UK and US misread the intentions of Iran in the run up to the war.
Blair and Bush pushed the line that Iran would be hostile to the Iraq venture, when in fact Iran wanted the venture to succeed in order for a stable government to be formed and to ensure that US troops did not remain too long in the area.
Sir Richard said that Blair made "a series of very bad decisions" about the legality of the 2003 invasion.
Blair told Chilcot in January:
"What happened in the end was that they did because they both had a common interest in destabilising the country, and for Iran I think the reason they were interested in destabilising Iraq was because they worried about having a functioning majority Shia country with a democracy on their doorstep."
Sir Richard contradicted this:
"From what I saw of his evidence, I thought he very much exaggerated this factor."
Blair and Bush pushed the line that Iran would be hostile to the Iraq venture, when in fact Iran wanted the venture to succeed in order for a stable government to be formed and to ensure that US troops did not remain too long in the area.
Sir Richard said that Blair made "a series of very bad decisions" about the legality of the 2003 invasion.
Blair told Chilcot in January:
"What happened in the end was that they did because they both had a common interest in destabilising the country, and for Iran I think the reason they were interested in destabilising Iraq was because they worried about having a functioning majority Shia country with a democracy on their doorstep."
Sir Richard contradicted this:
"From what I saw of his evidence, I thought he very much exaggerated this factor."
Friday, December 04, 2009
Planning Banned
The Chilcot Iraq Inquiry continues to reveal the true extent of lies and misrepresentations made to the public during the build up to the Iraq invasion, by the Labour administration.
Admiral Lord Boyce, the former Chief of the Defence Staff, told the inquiry that Geoff Hoon (the defence secretary at the time) blocked him from ordering equipment and mobilising troops for months, in order to keep the plans secret from the public.
Ministers also told him to always err on the side of optimism when giving appraisals as to what could be achieved.
Lord Boyce was not impressed with the preparations made by the US either. It seems that those in charge of US policy were of the naive and dangerous view that US forces would be greeted as liberators, and that flowers would placed in their rifles!
It saddens me to see how a country as powerful as the US never fails to misunderstand how others will react to their policies (both diplomatic and military). This lack of understanding stems from both naivety and arrogance; a very dangerous combination, that has led to countless unnecessary deaths.
When will the US learn that not everyone in the world wants to live the "American Dream", and that democracy cannot be imposed with the barrel of a gun?
Admiral Lord Boyce, the former Chief of the Defence Staff, told the inquiry that Geoff Hoon (the defence secretary at the time) blocked him from ordering equipment and mobilising troops for months, in order to keep the plans secret from the public.
Ministers also told him to always err on the side of optimism when giving appraisals as to what could be achieved.
Lord Boyce was not impressed with the preparations made by the US either. It seems that those in charge of US policy were of the naive and dangerous view that US forces would be greeted as liberators, and that flowers would placed in their rifles!
It saddens me to see how a country as powerful as the US never fails to misunderstand how others will react to their policies (both diplomatic and military). This lack of understanding stems from both naivety and arrogance; a very dangerous combination, that has led to countless unnecessary deaths.
When will the US learn that not everyone in the world wants to live the "American Dream", and that democracy cannot be imposed with the barrel of a gun?
Monday, May 28, 2007
Bush Ignored Warnings
The Senate Intelligence Committee on Friday released declassified pre Iraq war intelligence reports, and summaries of others, that warned that establishing democracy in Iraq would be "long, difficult and probably turbulent."
The committee's chairman, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, said:
"These dire warnings were widely distributed at the highest levels of government, and it's clear that the administration didn't plan for any of them."
The documents also said that while most Iraqis would welcome elections, the country's ethnic and religious leaders would be unwilling to share power.
President Bush and then Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ignored the warnings; they decided not to deploy the major occupation force that military planners had recommended.
They instead planned to reduce U.S. troops rapidly after the invasion, in the naive belief that toppling Saddam Hussein would ignite a democratic revolution across the Middle East.
The administration also instituted a massive purge of members of the Baath Party, and disbanded the Iraqi army. This misguided policy sparked the Sunni Muslim insurgency.
The committee's chairman, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, said:
"These dire warnings were widely distributed at the highest levels of government, and it's clear that the administration didn't plan for any of them."
The documents also said that while most Iraqis would welcome elections, the country's ethnic and religious leaders would be unwilling to share power.
President Bush and then Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ignored the warnings; they decided not to deploy the major occupation force that military planners had recommended.
They instead planned to reduce U.S. troops rapidly after the invasion, in the naive belief that toppling Saddam Hussein would ignite a democratic revolution across the Middle East.
The administration also instituted a massive purge of members of the Baath Party, and disbanded the Iraqi army. This misguided policy sparked the Sunni Muslim insurgency.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Four Years On
Four years after the toppling of Saddam Hussein, by the US, life for the Iraqi people can be reasonably described as being "pretty awful".
In the midst of the corruption, revenge killings, sectarian warfare and chaos that the enforced "regime change" has brought about there have been some attempts to instill a spirit of freedom and hope for the future. Yet none of these have captured the hearts or minds of the people of Iraq.
Four years ago Saddam Hussein's statue was toppled, for all the world to see, by US marines; this was a potent symbol of the regime's downfall.
However, nature abhors a vacuum. What was there to replace the regime?
It became all to clear that the US had not thought through its post regime change occupation, and indeed had very naively hoped that democracy "light" would magically take root.
Two months after the statue was felled a replacement statue, called Najeen (survivor), was erected. It shows a woman, supported by a man and a child, holding up an Islamic crescent moon that frames a Sumerian sun.
It failed to inspire and was derided.
The most telling sign of trouble to come is the fact that the "new" Iraq has yet to create a new flag. This failure is the most potent symbol of the failure of the invasion and enforced regime change, the inability to agree on the design of a flag means that the Iraqi's themselves do not see that they they have a future.
A country without a flag, is a country without a future.
In the midst of the corruption, revenge killings, sectarian warfare and chaos that the enforced "regime change" has brought about there have been some attempts to instill a spirit of freedom and hope for the future. Yet none of these have captured the hearts or minds of the people of Iraq.
Four years ago Saddam Hussein's statue was toppled, for all the world to see, by US marines; this was a potent symbol of the regime's downfall.
However, nature abhors a vacuum. What was there to replace the regime?
It became all to clear that the US had not thought through its post regime change occupation, and indeed had very naively hoped that democracy "light" would magically take root.
Two months after the statue was felled a replacement statue, called Najeen (survivor), was erected. It shows a woman, supported by a man and a child, holding up an Islamic crescent moon that frames a Sumerian sun.
It failed to inspire and was derided.
The most telling sign of trouble to come is the fact that the "new" Iraq has yet to create a new flag. This failure is the most potent symbol of the failure of the invasion and enforced regime change, the inability to agree on the design of a flag means that the Iraqi's themselves do not see that they they have a future.
A country without a flag, is a country without a future.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Bush Meets Some of Saddam's Victims
In Washington President Bush met with a group of victims of Saddam Hussein's regime, who had witnessed brutal actions against human rights.
President Bush said that the victims that he met "have suffered, one way or the other, because the tyrant was a law unto himself, and was willing to deny people basic human rights."
He said the stories that he heard from the victims were "compelling", and conveyed both sadness and bravery.
Quote:
"In the course of our discussion, we were also able to talk about what a contrast it is between a society which was willing to jail people, torture people and beat people and kill people, to a society that is beginning to understand the fruits of democracy and freedom."
President Bush assured the victims that the United States will stand with the Iraqi people, until Iraq can defend itself and will not be "a safe haven for the terrorists."
That is a very open ended commitment, which may take years to deliver.
The question is, are the American people prepared to stay the course?
President Bush said that the victims that he met "have suffered, one way or the other, because the tyrant was a law unto himself, and was willing to deny people basic human rights."
He said the stories that he heard from the victims were "compelling", and conveyed both sadness and bravery.
Quote:
"In the course of our discussion, we were also able to talk about what a contrast it is between a society which was willing to jail people, torture people and beat people and kill people, to a society that is beginning to understand the fruits of democracy and freedom."
President Bush assured the victims that the United States will stand with the Iraqi people, until Iraq can defend itself and will not be "a safe haven for the terrorists."
That is a very open ended commitment, which may take years to deliver.
The question is, are the American people prepared to stay the course?
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Saddam To Stand For Election?
Former Qatari justice minister, Najib al-Nuaimi, is quoted as saying that Iraqis have asked Saddam Hussein's defence team to consider fielding Saddam as a candidate for future elections.
Quote:
"Iraqis have asked the defence team to study the legal conditions to present Saddam Hussein as a candidate for elections, first as an MP then as president. If this contradicts the legal system then president Saddam will be nominated simply as a candidate."
Nuaimi is one of the three foreign lawyers, former US attorney general Ramsey Clark and Jordanian lawyer Issam Ghazzawi being the other two, sworn in by the Iraqi court as members of Saddam's defence at Monday's hearing.
Ghazzawi said:
"As we were leaving Iraq on Tuesday ordinary Iraqis at the airport approached us saying they wished that Saddam would return (as president). These Iraqis said 'we have lost security after Saddam, how we wish he would return'."
Whilst the idea of Saddam standing, and even winning a seat, may be attractive to those who want to humiliate Bush and Blair; it is not right that man who stifled democracy, when he was in charge, should then use it as a "get out of jail card".
More to the point, if the current trial is speeded up, Saddam may find himself facing the death penalty long before he has the opportunity to stand for election.
Quote:
"Iraqis have asked the defence team to study the legal conditions to present Saddam Hussein as a candidate for elections, first as an MP then as president. If this contradicts the legal system then president Saddam will be nominated simply as a candidate."
Nuaimi is one of the three foreign lawyers, former US attorney general Ramsey Clark and Jordanian lawyer Issam Ghazzawi being the other two, sworn in by the Iraqi court as members of Saddam's defence at Monday's hearing.
Ghazzawi said:
"As we were leaving Iraq on Tuesday ordinary Iraqis at the airport approached us saying they wished that Saddam would return (as president). These Iraqis said 'we have lost security after Saddam, how we wish he would return'."
Whilst the idea of Saddam standing, and even winning a seat, may be attractive to those who want to humiliate Bush and Blair; it is not right that man who stifled democracy, when he was in charge, should then use it as a "get out of jail card".
More to the point, if the current trial is speeded up, Saddam may find himself facing the death penalty long before he has the opportunity to stand for election.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Constitutional Result Delayed
Iraq has had to delay the announcement of results from its referendum on a new constitution, as the country's electoral commission has had to recheck ballots.
The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq said that is "needs several more days to complete this difficult and complex operation after finding that the figures from most provinces were too high."
Adding:
"This will require re-examination, comparison and verification because they are relatively high compared with international averages for elections. The commission will only announce results when they have been verified."
The commission said that 6 majority Shiite provinces in Southern Iraq had voted by more than 90% in favour of the constitution. However, 2 Sunni dominated provinces seem to have rejected it by 80% and 54%.
This means that the result will not be out before the start of Saddam Hussein's trial tomorrow.
The path to democracy is never easy.
The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq said that is "needs several more days to complete this difficult and complex operation after finding that the figures from most provinces were too high."
Adding:
"This will require re-examination, comparison and verification because they are relatively high compared with international averages for elections. The commission will only announce results when they have been verified."
The commission said that 6 majority Shiite provinces in Southern Iraq had voted by more than 90% in favour of the constitution. However, 2 Sunni dominated provinces seem to have rejected it by 80% and 54%.
This means that the result will not be out before the start of Saddam Hussein's trial tomorrow.
The path to democracy is never easy.
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