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It is in the breaking news sidebar!
Posted on 04/11/2003 8:05:13 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
BAGHDAD, April 11 (AFP) - Residents of Baghdad, once known throughout the Arab world as a citadel of anti-Americanism, say they can live with US troops in their midst as their arrival means Saddam Hussein is gone for good. But they insist their uninvited guests must not outstay their welcome. Their mood is in stark contrast to the Arab masses outside Iraq, who are in shock and denial at the swift collapse of Saddam's regime following an invasion by US and British troops. "We don't consider the presence of American soldiers as an occupation. They came to free us from injustice, tyranny and slavery," 41-year-old engineer Diya Abdul Hussein told AFP. "Under Saddam Hussein, our lives had no value, no sense," he added, speaking just a few metres (yards) from a US Marine roadblock in the centre of the capital. Hussein said it was not surprising that Iraqi forces had been routed by coalition troops advancing from Kuwait. "If we had believed in this war we could have stopped them entering Iraq, but we knew they were coming to liberate us," he claimed. Like many Iraqis, he thought that the coalition troops would not stay long in Iraq, "just until the situation stabilises." But he also had a warning: "Otherwise, the people will fight them." Saddam had used a powerful propaganda machine to rally the support of millions of Arabs, boasting that he would "liberate" Jerusalem and the Palestinians from Israeli rule, and chase the Americans out of the Gulf region. Arab nationalists responded by flocking to Baghdad to be received with full ceremony, often by Saddam, regardless of their relative importance. Inside and outside Iraq, Saddam was hailed for his financial support for the Palestinian uprising, but his erstwhile subjects now accuse him of wasting his country's wealth. "The Iraqis love Palestine and are prepared to take part in its liberation, but Saddam Hussein exploited the cause for propaganda purposes," said Samir Khadhem, a history student at Baghdad university. "Anyone who loved Palestine would go and fight Israel and not Iran and Kuwait as Saddam did." Architect Hashem Ahmed, 35, also said the Iraqis had welcomed the coalition troops "because they came to end injustice, executions and the poverty we suffered under Saddam." But he also had a warning: "If the Iraqi people had been capable of freeing themselves by their own efforts they would not have greeted the Americans with open arms," he said, adding that the US forces "must not stay more than six months in Iraq." Hashem too said that if Saddam really wanted to fight for the Palestinians he would have forged alliances with his neighbours Syria and Iran, two countries whose relations with Iraq deteriorated after he came to power in 1979. Another Iraqi, who preferred not to give his name "for fear that agents of the regime are still active," said the capture of Baghdad by the US army "is the price to be paid for freedom." "If the Americans are restoring our liberty they are welcome, and if they respect our dignity they can stay as long as they choose," he added. Saadi Shihab, a businessman in his sixties, was one of the few exceptions among people questioned by AFP. "It makes my heart sick to see our country, which has traditionally defended all the Arab causes, trampled under foreign boots," he said. "One mistake cannot be corrected by another." Proudly nationalistic, the Iraqis are not prepared to tolerate any slur against their patriotism after their welcome to the US troops. An Egyptian who accused one group of having "sold out their country" on Thursday was set upon and had to be rescued by the marines.
I agree, it is a question. I don't know if we can answer it from a position outside of Iraq. But I believe we will use force (or at least our presense) to ensure that no fundamentalist leadership, and indead, no single ethnic group gains majority power. we will develop a constitution that ensures each ethnic group has representation, (likely based on their numbers). This will form the begining of a parliment. Without saying it expressly, the form of government used by Israel would be good for Iraq.
Finally, before we pull out, we have to ensure an oil production company is in place which distributes their profits to the Iraq states based on something like their numbers. This company needs to have something that will defend it and ensure that the representative leadership know that their job is to provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare of all the Iraqi people.
When these two institutions are in place, we should be able to leave and let the Iraqis maintain their government without our presense. While there, we will likely promote education that is not anti-american, and muslim sturutures that tolerate other muslim sects and other religions. This will be a tall order indeed, but the Iraqis know that the other paths will lead to another dictator, something they should understand is not in their best interests.
I imagine that much of this is because many new democracies were once part of the British Empire (like us), but unlike us were always ruled pre-independence as one country, as opposed to being comprised of a federation of multiple independent entities. But you'd think they'd take a look at us and say "Hey, this is working for them, let's try it."
If I had my way, PsyOps would drop 10 million pamphlets made up of Arabic (or whatever) translations of the Constitution all over Iraq.
I disagree, I think Iraq is ripe for democracy. Remember these people have been tortured and brutalized for decades. If I remember correctly most of the Europeans who built America were oppressed in Europe before coming to America. Time will tell.
You are right of course, I was thinking about not attempting too much too soon. I suspect that the Middle East will have problems with any form of democracy. They would be well advised to look at the US Constitution.
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