State Department: Democracy in Iraq Unlikely

The State Department has now confirmed in a deeply disturbing report what any of us with any experience in the Middle East instinctively and intellectually know -- that Iraq is the least likely country in the world to be "democratized."

Not only are economic and social problems there so intense as to undermine basic stability in the region for years, the report says, but even if some form of democratic government took form, the spoils would go to fundamentalist Islamists deeply hostile to the United States.

The thrust of the still-secret document, printed first in the Los Angeles Times, is that "political changes conducive to broader and enduring stability throughout the region will be difficult to achieve for a very long time. This idea that you are going to transform the Middle East and fundamentally alter its trajectory is not credible."

Continued....

[Mike]

Well then what is going to happen?

Opinion.

If I can handle freedom, the Iraqi people can handle freedom.

Many reports are indicating a military state similar to Japan after WWII, atleast for the interim period. A governing board will be established comprised of former military leaders, intelligence officials, and ambassadors. The board will directly answer to the Pentagon via General Tommy Franks.

[DutchMaster]

Originally posted by prexaspes
Opinion.

If I can handle freedom, the Iraqi people can handle freedom.

Saddam has been president (dictator) since 1979. The Ba;ath party took the power in 1968.
That means most Iraqi people (under 45 years old) grew up under this regime.
The people there can't imagine and don't know what freedom is. They have been living this life for years. You can't change that in a few months, not even in a few years. It has to grow.

The President has triggered a sequence of events last night that will cause extremely complex problems for the world and, indeed, will create more issues than it resolves.

Sad.

[pickel]

Shahani..It'a called evolution

[no1_vern]

Anyone who knows human nature knows this. WE(the usa) are the outsiders! If it were to come from themselves there would be a chance of happening.

Vern

That's exactly what I mean. Evolution can lead to ugly things too. My point is that this may have created more problems than it solves.

[ClubMed]

no1_vern, I agree and I have mentioned this quite often only to receive moronic comments in return. Democracy is not an independent, unit that can be 'installed' here and there by anyone as if it were a computer component, this is where Bush and his entire ideology fail.

Democracy is a development, when a society, any society, becomes politically mature and ripe, after gaining political experience.

The British and French mandates attempted to 'install' their own form of governments in the Middle East only to see them collapse after they pulled out.