Democracy and Human Rights: Is Iraq ready for democracy?

We are all familiar with the Iraq invasion in 2003. The Americans invaded Iraq despite the United Nations’ decision against it. The Americans ousted the notorious Saddam Hussein- a tyrant of all atrocities to his own people. In this paper, I shall not attempt to judge the decision behind the invasion (it has happened) but rather whether Iraq is ready for democracy and whether the people are for democracy.

President George W. Bush insisted that Iraq was ready for democracy. He mentioned that “There was a time when many said that the cultures of Japan and Germany were incapable of sustaining democratic values. Well, they were wrong. Some say the same of Iraq today. They are mistaken. The nation of Iraq, with its proud heritage, abundant resources and skilled and educated people, is fully capable of moving toward democracy and living in freedom”.[1] Perhaps, in the key categories such as per capita income, literacy, male-to-female literacy ratio, and urbanization, Iraq’s numbers are comparable to those of many other states that have enjoyed real progress in the transition from autocracy to democracy, such as Bangladesh, Kenya, and Bolivia. [2] But for the people, I doubt, are ready to accept democracy.

In my opinion, maybe, initially, they were rejoicing for the invasion by the Americans. It represented a way out of Saddam’s rule and atrocities. It meant the end of misery. However, even with the death of Saddam, the people of Iraq are beginning to feel that perhaps it is better to remain in Saddam’s rule. Why? It is because America had failed to deliver the promises it had said or was expected of them.

Democracy generally, meant freedom and the granting of basic human rights to all. However, after the invasion, the citizens saw a wave of instability. Three months after the end of the war, Iraqis express a growing sense of disappointment in the new, American order—or, to be more precise, the lack of order. There is no dictatorship, but there is also no electricity, work, safety, or government.[3] Under the Americans, invasions of privacy and insecurity compounded the atrocities that were committed during Saddam’s rule such as the frequent raids, rapes and robberies. Their lives were turned upside down. Everyday, they witness deaths, experience injuries and intolerant behaviors towards even the innocent. What kind of life is that supposed to be? If that kind of misery is imposed onto anybody, including the Americans themselves, it is not difficult to see why the Iraqis are beginning to detest the American invasion. Nobody will want that kind of life where you, already having no basic necessities and human rights, do not know when you will be the next victim of death. The below extract will only add on to my claim that the citizens resented the invasion: (“Americans took over Iraq in three weeks but they have not been able to restore the electricity in three months. What kind of power is that? They promised us democracy, but where is the government?” asks a citizen. He says that the soldiers sometimes venture into the old part of Baghdad where he lives, Abu Safijan, but they do not talk to the people, do not ask about their needs and wishes. “We hate Saddam, but under his rule it was safe, at least,” adds his 70-year-old mother. “Once you could have slept in a bed set outside the house. Now, our daughters are afraid to walk to school. The gangsters rob, rape, and shoot,” the old woman laments. All around us children laugh and shout, “Saddam Ali Baba! Bush Ali Baba!” which is to say that both are thieves, each as bad as the other. ) Even children regard President Bush as an evil equivalent to Saddam. How is one able to expect the people of Iraq to accept the American invasion and the spread of the ideals of democracy? To them, democracy has failed. It was even better under Saddam’s era! They are rejecting America, and thus rejecting democracy. So what if specialists feel that Iraq, as a country, has the foundations to build a democratic country? The people, too disappointed with the aftermath of the invasion, had, in their hearts, rejected democracy. In this case, so what if there is a new democratic government imposed onto them? They will not find it appealing and may even find means to topple it. In all, the Americans had lost the hearts and favor of the Iraqis, which by the rules of democracy, is essential for building a democratic country.

[1] Democracy in Iraq? Feb 23, 2003. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/jan-june03/democracy_2-27.html
[2] Democracy in Iraq? THE WASHINGTON QUARTERLY, SUMMER 2003. http://www.twq.com/03summer/docs/03summer_bymanpollack.pdf
[3] Iraq, Three Months After the War. July 10, 2003. http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/1361.cfm