Freedom's Fidelity

Thursday, June 10, 2004

Paul Wolfowitz and Iraqi Bloggers

The evil leader and former Ku Klux Klan member.... oh wait no, that's Senator Robert Byrd (D), my bad. I meant to say Paul Wolfowitz (pronounce it Vol-vo-vitz so it sounds more Jewish) the evil ringleader of the neocons and puppet master of the Bush administration has a thoughtful piece in the WSJ Opinion Page, outlining the Roadmap to a Sovereign Iraq. He mentions two Iraqi bloggers - Zeyad and Omar - both are linked on the sidebar to the right. This is the second time that I am aware of that Wolfowitz has mentioned Iraqi blogs. Wow, you never know who is reading.

After a suicide car bombing killed Iraqi Interim Governing Council President Izzedine Salim and eight others on May 17, one Iraqi put that act of terror into a larger perspective for those who wonder if democracy can work in Iraq. His name is Omar, one of the new Iraqi "bloggers," and he wrote on his Web log: "We cannot . . . protect every single person, including our leaders and the higher officials who make favorite targets for the terrorists--but we can make their attempts go in vain by making our leadership 'replaceable.' "

Exercising his newfound freedom of speech via the Internet, Omar addressed what he sees as the terrorists' fundamental misunderstanding about where Iraq is going. Terrorists--whether Saddamists or foreigners--"think in the same way their dictator-masters do," failing to grasp that the idea of leadership by an indispensable strongman applies to totalitarian regimes--not democracies.

That understanding of the stability of representative government was confirmed when council member Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawar assumed the Governing Council presidency. This orderly transfer of leadership showed that the rudiments of a democratic process are already at work in Iraq. The hope for a new Iraq, in which freedom is protected by democracy and the rule of law, rests in such processes.

Interesting point, the stability of democracies rests in its institutions, not its citizens per se. It's so obvious and simple that most of us never even bother to consider it, that's just the way things are done here in US of A. But it is worth noting what a unique phenomenon it is that here in the United States, regardless if we are in the middle of a war - even a world war - presidential elections are held every four years like clockwork. No suspensions, no delays, period.

The rest of the piece outlines the five phases Iraq will travel to arrive at functioning, peaceful and prosperous democracy. He also discusses the challenges that will be faced on the way. Go read the rest already.

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