Terry Mitchell

Is Iraq a Real Democracy?



Posted: Monday, April 13, 2009

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http://commenterry.blogs.com

I have a hard time buying into the notion that Iraq is a true democracy. Yes, since the U.S. forced Saddam Hussein from power, Iraq has conducted free and open elections and has selected its own leaders.
 
However, there's more to a democracy than just elections, and I see Iraq as lacking in some of the other things that make a democracy a democracy. Two of them specifically lead me to question that country's status as such.
First, Iraq's government does not seem capable of standing on its own without the help of the U.S. It appears so fragile that it would likely crumble shortly after a U.S. pullout, even if that doesn't occur for another 20 years. I don't see it being able to prevent its various factions from turning on each other. In addition, its military's ability to protect it from invading forces seems questionable at best.

Second, Iraq doesn't appear to be completely autonomous. I'm not sure that, at this point (or any time soon), it would be allowed to determine its own direction in every matter. For example, what if Iraq decided to split itself into three separate nations, one for the Shiites, one for the Sunnis, one for the Kurds? Or suppose it wanted to do something a little less drastic like placing a high tariff on goods imported from North America?

Would the U.S. allow either of these things to happen? I think not, even though these are things that any genuine democracy would have the freedom to do. What is a democracy without self-determination? It isn't.
 
Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, amateur political analyst, and blogger from Virginia, USA. He posts a least one article a day to his blog - http://commenterry.blogs.com - on subjects such as current events, politics, technology, society and culture, religion, health and well-being, self improvement, personal finance, trivia, and sports. Terry is also the owner and operator of a website that is dedicated to allowing U.S. citizens to find all types of insurance at reasonable prices.  
 
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)
» left by Anonymous 2 years 281 days ago.
Sun nite NBC reported the Iraqi government media was not covering the recent flurry of increased violence, because the government "wanted to put the past behind it." Doesn't sound like a free democratic government media.
» left by Terry Mitchell 2 years 281 days ago.
89 fans.
I agree 100%.
» left by Jeff Brown 2 years 280 days ago.
145 fans. Follow Jeff Brown on twitter!
Terry,
 
Yes, Iraq certainly is on shaky ground. Most of the problem comes from a total lack of separation of church or religion and state. They are one in the same. The Middle East has a tradition of leaders tied into religious dogma, and separating it from the political difficult if not impossible. Certainly something that won't happen in a few years never mind decades. If we look to Afghanistan as a model we can see the problem once the U.S. leaves. After eradicating the Taliban, since then it has grown to even greater power than before the U.S. was there. So what do we do? Colonize? We can look to Britain and our own country to see the inherent problems there. Thanks for the article and the insight.
» left by Terry Mitchell 2 years 279 days ago.
89 fans.
Jeff, thanks for reading and offering your input.
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