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Some good news from Iraq
Democracy takes root beneath the turmoil in Iraq
By Ayad Rahim
Special to The Times
Judging from news reports — of terrorist attacks in Iraq and political sniping at home — some might think that my native Iraq is in a terrible mess. Not so.
Many critics see the attacks as signs that Iraqis oppose American involvement. A British survey and an Iraqi poll, however, found that 76 and 85 percent of Baghdadis, respectively, favor the continued presence of coalition troops. That's because Iraqis know, to the core of their marrow, that after 35 years of subjugation, brutality and isolation, they need help, and that if America left prematurely, disaster would likely ensue.
Moreover, considering the grip Saddam Hussein had on the country for 34 years, and the complicity and loyalty he'd purchased, the dead-end attacks are not surprising, for Saddam's killers know they don't have a future in an Iraq without their boss's patronage and protection, and that past atrocities will be punished.
In addition, the overwhelming majority of Iraqis oppose the attacks, knowing that they hinder efforts to rebuild, democratize and modernize the country. Now, with Saddam's sons dead and three-quarters of the "most wanted" in custody, Iraqis are more and more assisting the campaign to destroy the remains of Saddam's terrorist apparatus.
Many who militated against toppling Saddam predicted that Iraq would descend into communal violence or civil war. Instead, Iraqis have worked together and closely with coalition authorities and troops. Local councils and courts are functioning throughout the country. Workers in schools, hospitals and government ministries have elected their own leaders, and seeds of democracy are sprouting up in the forms of private organizations and 150 new newspapers and magazines.
Dilapidated schools and infrastructure are being rebuilt, and the economy is being reformed and revived. In parts of the country that for more than 20 years were limited to one hour of electricity a day and no clean water, stunting people's growth, basic services are now almost nonstop.
Except for the isolated contract killings and sabotage, the country is calm and experiencing improved conditions day by day. A transitional government is in place, the only political body in Iraq's history representative of the country's religious and ethnic groups. Iraqis also will convene soon to write the country's constitution, paving the way for elections.
One friend in America told me that his brother in Iraq is so happy with the way things are going, he wants to build a statue of President Bush in front of his house. Another friend said his siblings told him they could finally breathe — inside their homes — after years of strangulating fear. My uncle in Baghdad said, "We've been brought back to life."
Many experts and diplomats warned grimly that without Saddam, Iraq would break apart, destabilizing the region. Instead, Iraqis of all stripes have shown that their main allegiance is to Iraq, and their main aspiration is to live freely. Most clergy have counseled patience and cooperation with the coalition, and extremists have not gathered great support. Ayatollah Khomeini's grandson, having just moved to Iraq, praised America as a liberator in Iraq and urged separation of mosque and state.
Critics predicted that if we encroached on Iraqi territory, thousands of coalition soldiers (many said tens of thousands) would perish, and face urban combat, house-to-house fighting, and chemical and biological attacks. However, because Iraqis wanted to be rescued from Saddam, not fight for him, coalition troops faced little resistance. Instead, coalition troops were greeted with jubilation when Iraqis knew they were at last free, and soldiers are still cheered and received warmly as they carry out their duties.
Military action did not cause a refugee crisis, nor humanitarian or health crises. Environmental disaster was averted, as dams were not broken and oil fields were rescued before Saddam could set them ablaze, as he did in Kuwait.
There were also dire predictions that attacking Saddam would unleash an explosion of anger in the "Arab street" and terrorist attacks at home. The evidence appears to argue the converse — that weak and ineffectual responses to terrorist attacks in the '80s and '90s perpetuated them, while strong action halts them.
Thus, the world's most powerful terrorist has been toppled, the Middle East has been moderated, and some Arabs, despite their media's obfuscation, watch with fascination as an experiment in representative democracy unfolds at their doorstep, an eventuality that could transform the region and counter the wave of terrorism.
During Operation Iraqi Freedom, coalition forces did their utmost to avoid hitting water-pumping stations, electricity networks, hospitals, schools and mosques that Saddam used to base weapons directed at coalition forces.
Thus, by restraint, civilian casualties were kept to a minimum, and the coalition's targeting of Saddam's palaces and bases of power delighted Iraqis, knowing that their salvation was near.
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Good to hear that things are improving for the Iraqi people.
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