BARVENNON.COM
1st February 2005
AUSTRALIAN DIARY
-
IRAQ -
Last week there was a massive (60% of those eligible
according to Al
Jazeera) turnout in the Iraq elections. Given the
Economists estimate of a 25% turnout in the Sunni triangle, this means
that there was a
70% turnout of eligible voters in the Kurdish and Shiia regions.
Such a setback is further evidence of the predicted
failure of Islamic terrorism, which evidence should persuade those
except liberal
journalists like those on the BBC
apologises over Iraqi figures
who were all too ready to publish their own biased perceptions of the
cause of war deaths, and like the writers of the English version of
Arab newspaper Al
Jazeera. Al Jazeera is actually quite impartial
considering it's
audience. It's partiality is that it selects material only on
Arabic
matters. This Iraqui birth in fire will form the legend that
will inspire this young representative democracy in the centuries of
liberty
that will hopefully follow. I suspect that the USA has produced a
lasting and permanent friend.
Perhaps bad loser liberals John Kerry and Senator Kennedy (for
which see their comments quoted in Al Jazeera) should
consider the motes in their own eyes. (For instance, just what is
the voter turnout rate in the USA?) In any event, the election
was for the production of an Iraqui constitution. Even if the
Sunni triangle does not have representatives who have a majority
mandate, the policies of those representatives will be scrutinized by
the free press in the region, and any extreme and unfair constitutional
initiatives will be made clear to those represented and to the rest of
the world.
That is the power of a free press.
I believe that America has done the right thing in Iraq. The
voter turnout against threats of death by Al Quaida and local Sunni
terrorists indicates that a majority of
Iraqis appreciate the effort made by the USA. History is in the
making.
Analysis shows that most international objections are from those arab
nations that
might have fears that democracy might destabilize their own cosy
dictatorships,
and from old Europe, whose leaders might fear that new democratic
regimes will eventually force modernization of their own corrupted
bureaucracies (and perhaps confirm the rumours of corrupt acceptance of
bribes by the politicians of Russia and France.)
Apparently self confessed liberal Mark
Brown writing for the Chicago Sun Times also believes that USA
might have done the right thing.
"But after
watching
Sunday's election in Iraq and seeing the first clear sign that freedom
really may mean something to the Iraqi people, you have to be asking
yourself: What if it turns out Bush was right, and we were wrong?"
He also wrote:
"And if you were
with the president from the start, I've already got your blood boiling."
Hey Mark, some of us who "were with the president from the start"
forgive you. Basically, you were never really
a "true blue" liberal, because, hey, true blues are totally unable to
ever
change
their stripe or spots or whatever. Most of us anti-liberal types
were once liberal, we
just sorta grew out of it when we realized that "liberal" just dont
work. For instance, Sir Humphrey said in the BBC-TV show "Yes
Minister", something along the lines: "We can give the minister just as
many unemployed
as he is prepared to pay social security to".
Meanwhile, in Australia's most prestigious university, Professor of
political
science and director of the Center for Arab & Islamic Studies Amin
Saikal is quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald as having assessed that
"it will not suit America's interest for the Shiites to gain
government".
It is my belief that he is mistaken. I do not believe (as he
suggested) that Arab
Shia
Iraq will be subservient to Non-Arab Shia Iran. The simple fact
is, democracy
in Iraq will tend to destabilize Iran, (and most of the other Muslim
dictatorships nearby) because the Mullahs in Iran do not
permit Iranians to exercise a democratic choice at elections.
It is my suspicion that the good Professor might have his own axe to
grind. Perhaps he
did not anticipate the (to me obvious) success of the USA's Iraqui
election strategy? Perhaps he made the mistake (like Australian think
tank ASPI in similar circumstances) of making a prediction that has
since turned to dust?
The problem is, our political system is broken. One of the most
persuasive indicators of that failure is the quality of the taxpayer
funded purchase of advice to government.
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