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12/15/2005
The courage to vote
There have been elections in Iraq before today, and I'm not just talking about the ones earlier this year. For example, prior to the 2003 invasion, there was an election with 100% of the vote going to a particular candidate. Yup, the winner got every single vote. Last I heard, that guy was on trial for crimes against humanity. Maybe that's how he got to be so popular.
Given their history and the current conditions, I would say the Iraqi people deserve a big, purple "Thumbs up!" for their courage. Instapundit has lots of links to various round-ups, most notably Pajamas Media with reports from Iraq the Model.
Also via Instapundit, there is this from a reporter on the ground.
Think about everything you’ve heard about the conditions in Iraq, the role of U.S. forces, the multi-layered complexities of the war.
Then think again.
I’m a journalist. I read the news everyday, from several sources. I have the luxury of reading stuff newspapers don’t always have room to print. I read every tidbit I could on Iraq and the war before coming.
Everything I thought I knew was wrong.
Read the whole thing, as the Professor writes.
I asked my 10-year old at bedtime if she knew what historically important event had happened today. With a little prompting, she came up with the elections in Iraq. I tried to explain to her why it's important, why it matters to her and to me. I tried to explain how creating a stable democracy in the Arab world would fan the desire of average Arabs for self-rule. I hope someday she understands.
Oh, and women voted, too. A scandal in the Islamist world.
Perhaps I can give the Arab News the last word:
It will be some time before it is known which of the 6,655 candidates from an astonishing 307 different political parties has won one of the 275 seats in the first freely elected Parliament in Iraq’s history. What is clear, however, is that all Iraqis won a victory yesterday — a victory of peace over violence, of negotiation over nihilism, of brotherhood over bigotry.
No one should pretend, of course, that the violence will now end rapidly. But the display of determination by all Iraqis to participate in the democratic process must have made a deep impression on all but the most hardened terrorists. The fact that so many Sunnis trooped to the polling stations for the first time, having boycotted the previous two national votes, sends the clear message that the community which most of the insurgents pretend to represent wants peace, not violence. Nor are they prepared to be intimidated by the killers in their midst. They want to become part of the political process.
Whatever the final composition of Parliament, this was a vote for peace. The next stage is for the newly elected politicians to form a government and an opposition, which will fairly reflect the views of all communities. As we saw over the constitution, there will be protracted horse-trading and indeed further adjustments to be negotiated to that very document. Such negotiations must be conducted in a spirit of fairness and compromise. Wherever possible, Iraq’s new legislators must seek consensus and avoid entrenched positions.
Beginning today, this is democracy’s chance in Iraq. Massive hopes are riding on the success of the political process. Nevertheless, providing men of moderation can hold the center ground and bring more extreme politicians at least to its edge, the new Parliament can work. A muscular broad-based administration will only emerge if politicians are prepared to work together for the greater good. Now is not the time for individual political aspirations to come to the fore. Future Iraqis will honor all those who today focus on stability rather than their own ambitions.
Hat tip: Instapundit.
21:50 Posted in Current Events , GWOT , Iraq | Permalink | Email this