|
|
|
Iraq entered my consciousness tonight as it does many times. I wondered can some form of democracy take root in Iraq.
American style democracy took root from Christian principles.
WHEN in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Notice the multiple references to God in “…Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God…” and “…endowed by their Creator…”
I am no expert on Islam, but from what I observe, I don’t see Islam generating the same thoughts that all men are created equal and all rights flow from God, not from man.
Although I think the Greeks toyed with democracy, but it seems to have failed. It has been the U.S. that has really brought representative democracy to the modern world and then exported it to other nations. Most of those other nations were also Christian at the time. Japan was not.
I suspect you could argue that England, France, Germany and much of “old” Europe are no long “Christian” nations. Whether the U.S. is, still a Christian nature is a debatable point.
Turkey appears to be an Islamic democracy and I guess it works.
I see Iraq as at a turning point. Are the Iraqi’s now ready to make the sacrifices to be free and democratic? Right now, I see that coin in a very slow motion. I see it poised in mid-air slowly flipping end-over-end.
In a sense, Afghanistan was easier. We already had in indigenous force in the field. We just had to multiply their effectiveness and we quickly defeated the Taliban. In Iraq, we had no such constituency. We have removed the horrifically repressive government and told the Iraqi’s, “Now you are free.”
I fear the shock may be too great for them. For over 30 years, the Iraqi’s have survived by being meek slaves to Saddam’s thugs. For 30 years the Iraqi’s have been told, “Resistance is futile.” Now we are asking them to be slaves no longer, but to be men. We are asking them to fight for their freedom and a new Iraq.
Can we change that mindset from one of resignation to one of determination? I don’t know. It is my prayer that we can. I view our success or failure in Iraq as crucial to our success or failure to our war against Islamic Fascism.
We simply cannot afford to fail.
Posted by Ted at November 13, 2004 9:10 PM