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11.03.2003
The Three Point Jumper Project Syndicate: Living Under Occupation by Ralf Dahrendorf : "But the most important aspect of the German experience was the sense of where the occupation would lead. In the old Soviet zone, it soon became clear that it would lead to a totalitarian satellite regime. Those who could left the Soviet zone and settled in the West; those who could not faced the sullen existence of subjects rather than citizens. " A disturbing undercurrent of the American occupation of Iraq can be felt in the inherent sense of opposition that some Americans feel about the Middle East. The feeling is that should we allow the people of Iraq to go about the business of building their own country they would inevitably create a monster Islamic state that would stand up against the U.S. and we would be no better off than during the Saddam days. A dilemna arises. The success of the rebuilding of Iraq depends on the faith of the Iraqi people that the nation they create will be one of their own choosing. For the U.S. the measure of success will be the creation of an Iraqi nation that lives in peace and cooperation with us. The problem arises when there is little or no faith that an Iraq built by Iraqis will be what America desires. So the inclination is to try to exhert control over the process to produce the desired results. But by doing so you destroy the faith that is essential for success. This is where faith in process comes into play. We must believe that once the principle ingredients are in place that a peaceful Iraq will result. And we must accept that the Iraqi state that comes about will not be everything we think it should be. It will have its own distinct style and flavor. A quick look around the world at the other free nations provides a variety of forms that democracies can take. The essential components are the same; representive rule and respect for human rights and freedoms, but the character and process can be varied. Its like taking a shot in basketball. You line up with the goal, position your hands and go through the motion to send the ball on its way. Once you release the ball its out of your control. You have to have faith that the shot was executed properly, otherwise you never release the ball and no points are ever made. Obviously the process of rebuilding a nation is not one you can practice very often. We're a little bit like that guy who tries to win the million dollar Dr. Pepper shot from mid court. The stakes are high but our faith in our abilities is weak. If we send a clear message to the Iraqis that we have no faith in their eventual self determination then their faith in the occupation will crumble. For this reason President Bush and his Iraqi team must not only put forth a public face of confidence, which to their credit they are trying to do, but they must also work very hard to quell any fears that American administrators will step in should an Iraqi government decide to represent what would be an Iraqi majority opinion but one counter to American wishes. I am specifically thinking in terms of the Isreali/Palestinian situation where its a good probability that a free Iraq, one which represents the opinions of its citizens would be pro-palestinian. Will we tolerate democracy in the Middle East? | |
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