The Dartmouth Beacon

Whatever shape we might conceive a democracy to take, I can guarantee that it would be a pain to gift-wrap. If you really want an appropriate metaphor in which to “wrap” discussion of Iraq’s fledgling democracy, I suggest you go to a greenhouse, for “growing” is a far better verb than “giving” to associate with this concept.

While it is too early to judge Iraq’s new government entirely on its independent actions, so far Allawi’s obligatory political optimism has been backed by concrete actions and events. In their most recent elections, both the United States and Iraq had similar voter turnouts (60.7% in the U.S, about 60% in Iraq, although final numbers were not available at press time). But if the numbers are similar, the incentives couldn’t be more different. Americans came out to vote at the prodding of MTV; Iraqi voters were dodging bullets. While Hanover residents rode to the polls in vans kindly provided by the Dartmouth Young Democrats, Iraqi voters were avoiding vans that might contain bombs. I again assert that people voting under those conditions felt not just an abstract hope that things would get better, but also a strong sense of responsibility for the direction of their country.

With the election behind them, the Iraqi people will now turn to a question that is just as relevant to them as it is in American political life: what should be the role of religion in the governance, culture, and life of a society? Though ostensibly unanswerable, the question demands at least a response. Religion in Iraqi governance has been responsible for many deaths at the hands of heaven-aspiring fanatics. Yet religion in Iraqi culture has been responsible for the hope and responsibility I outlined above. Religion in Iraqi life may just be the thing that allows moderation, decency, and respect for the rule of law to establish a stable, honorable society in Iraq. As America struggles with the waning influence of traditional morality and issues of religious-political cleavage, we may have things to learn from an Iraq that is earnestly striving to integrate the two into a successful society.

American troops and administrators did give substantial gifts to the Iraqi people by toppling Saddam. The initiative to oust him and the commitment to stay on the ground until a stable government could be established were not trivial. Independent of any objections to the invasion of Iraq, the sacrifices of both Iraqis and Americans were great and noble. But democracy grew out of the Iraqis’ latent hunger for freedom; it was not received full-form from a benevolent foreign nation.

Of course, despite the best arguments for hope, responsibility, and a strong society, the Iraqi elections are no panacea. It won’t be long before they too are talking about soft money, special interests, and the like. But for now, hope reigns.

While America may be the most conspicuous democracy in the world, it still has much to learn from places like Iraq, where freedom and self-determinism have not always existed. We can learn to hope that the fate of tomorrow depends on our decisions today. We can grasp that hope, and take responsibility to ensure it is nurtured to fruition. And we can find an appropriate place in public affairs for such an intensely private thing as religion.
When the dust settles, the situation in Iraq is not unlike many situations faced here during America’s younger days. Divided and war-wearied, the people and leaders of Iraq are stepping up to a far greater degree than those here at home. In such an environment, it is Iraqi leaders who sound more like Lincoln when he called for our country to act, “With malice towards none...With Charity for all; With Firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right”. With hope, Iraq will follow that call.