Democracy Birth Pangs in Iraq

Fire of Liberty

While the folks on the various cable-news networks and newspapers keep running around a yelling "the sky is falling," in Iraq because the terrorists are causing problems or foretelling the failure of the US mission because they haven't approved their new constitution because the Sunni's can't agree with the Shi'a or Kurds. Instead of scurrying around like a bunch or mice when a cat enters a room, maybe the press should stop and take a breath to assess the situation at hand. All you've got to do is reflect on the eleven years it took the delegates in Philadelphia to eventually formulate an acceptable constitution for the United States. Even during this process, we had various delegates arguing over the size and formulation of our legislature, whether or not we should have a Bill of Rights and many other areas of contention. Though the press worries about a delay, I prefer that the various political groups in Baghdad to argue and bicker among themselves in an effort to forge an Iraqi constitution formed by Iraqi people.

If you're going to form any semblance of democracy in a former dictatorship like Iraq, then it's always good to see the Iraqi government settling their problems via compromises and agreements rather than in the streets. It's far greater to delay the constitutional process in an effort to forge a good/great constitution rather than pass a constitution that is riddled with holes and needing a re-write in a decade or so. One thing that we in the US should take into mind is that we shouldn't look so antsy with our persistent call for the Iraqi's to meet today's deadline for the constitution. So let's hope that the press and the administration to sit back and enjoy the ride, even if you hit some bumps along the journey. I think the Iraqi's would probably agree with Winston Churchill's often repeated adage "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." So they might have a slight delay in forming their constitution over some various disputes like federalism or oil riches but at least they're coming together to form one. So everybody calm down and let democracy do its magic in Iraq. It's a lot better than the hell that Saddam put them through, well unless you follow Howard Deans wacky argument "Women in Iraq have lesser freedoms than under Saddam."

If you want a more detailed overview of the problems or degrees of difficulty involved in the formulation of the Iraqi constitution then without all the rhetoric, you should check out this piece in the Wall Street Journal by Reuel Marc Gerecht, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. You should find it very interesting, so check it out. In the meantime, take some time out of your busy day and reflect on what is at hand for the folks in Iraq.