Exporting Democracy

When the second invasion of Iraq could not be justified by evidence of “weapons of mass destruction”, and could not be justified by credible links between Saddam and Al Qaeda, the US administration proclaimed that it was justified on the grounds that it spread Freedom and Democracy. But Democracy is an idea, a philosophy, a way of looking at things, and a way of life. It cannot be exported like grapes, and it cannot be imposed without disregarding the will of the very people it is supposed to reflect. Certain preconditions are necessary for Democracy to exist.

Robert A. Dahl, in his book titled “On Democracy”, considers the histories of democracies around the world and concludes that the following conditions are “essential” for successful democracies:

• Absence of hostile outside intervention;
• Control of the military and police by elected officials;
• Weak or nonexistent internal cultural conflict; and
• Strong popular support for democratic ideas, values and practices. [On Democracy, 1998, Yale University Press, Ch. 12]

Applied to W’s Debacle, the shortfalls are painfully clear:

• There are outside players exerting force to shape the political outcomes in Iraq;
• The elected officials apparently have limited control over military and police units, since a number of those units have loyalties lying elsewhere;
• Internal cultural conflict has always existed, and it is stronger now due to open ethnic warfare; and
• Popular support for democratic ideals, values and practices is weakened by conflicting allegiances to authoritarian groups and leaders.

There were many of us, including W’s father, who foresaw that W’s Big Adventure would mean disaster for Iraq. The country was created by foreign powers, had obvious internal conflicts, and existed in a region rife with feuding neighbors. How could the outcome be otherwise?

As a U.S. citizen, I feel a profound sorrow for what has been done in our name, and in the name, allegedly, of Democracy. I and other Americans marched in demonstrations to prevent W’s invasion of Iraq, but we were not enough. Now, too late, the horror has become apparent. People of Iraq, you did not ask for this monumental challenge, but it has fallen upon you, and hard. I can only hope that you are able to quickly find a path to more peaceful coexistence.