News 2005

Iraq’s struggle for stable democracy
April 29, 2005

By Hassan Hanizadeh:

Finally, after three weeks of consultations between different political parties, Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari introduced his new cabinet.

With 180 votes in favor and 5 against, the cabinet was approved by Iraq’s 275-seat National Assembly. There are 16 Shia Arabs, eight Kurds, six Sunni Arabs, one Turkmen (who is also Shia), and one Assyrian in Iraq’s new cabinet.

Although the balanced cabinet is in accordance with the political participation of Iraq’s political and ethnic groups, no minister has yet been appointed for five of the six ministries that were set aside for the Sunni Arabs, which indicates that a segment of the minority cannot accept that they will no longer wield a disproportionate share of power in the new Iraq and are still seeking to gain control of key ministries in the new government.

Shortly after the National Assembly approved the new government team, Jaafari announced that giving the Sunni Arabs control of six ministries would not be compatible with their participation
in the elections.

In fact, if more Sunni Arabs had participated in Iraq’s general election, which introduced a new form of democracy to the Arab world, they could have gained control of more ministries.

However, the new Iraqi government has put an end to some 50 years of dictatorship in Iraq and is helping to bring about a new era of democracy, which is unparalleled in other Arab countries.

The general election and the establishment of a popularly elected parliament and government, which is unprecedented in the political lexicon of the Arabs in recent decades, are gradually going to help stabilize Arab countries since the traditional Arab governmental systems will lose their legitimacy if they do not respond to their people’s will.

After the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime, several Arab governments tried to prevent the formation of a democratic government in Iraq, fearing that the tornado of democracy would one day destroy their political systems.

On the other hand, the new Iraqi cabinet, which represents over 90 percent of Iraq’s population, enjoys the required legitimacy in the international arena. The lack of participation by Sunni Arabs representing just 10 percent of the country will in no way cast doubt on the legitimacy of the new Iraqi government.

Now, as the new government begins its work, the Arab terrorist groups will probably intensify their attacks with the aim of preventing the establishment of stability and security in Iraq.

The main objective of these terrorists is to turn back the clock to the time before Saddam’s fall in order to once again deprive the Shia majority of their right to assume power through legal means.

It is quite clear that Jaafari’s government should make serious efforts to establish stability and security in Iraq because it is impossible to fight against terrorist groups without precise local, regional, and extra-regional plans.

The Jaafari government should devise a short-term as well as a long-term strategy to expel the Arab terrorists, who have certainly entered Iraq from neighboring Arab countries, and to establish security in the country, with the cooperation of the Iraqi people.

The need to establish balanced and reasonable relations between Iraq and neighboring countries, based on geographical and religious considerations and eschewing racial bias, is another significant challenge facing the new Iraqi government.

A glance at Iraq’s recent history shows that pan-Arabism has incurred much damage on the country and that through the promotion of this ominous phenomenon during its 35 years in power, the Baath Party deprived Iraq of its rightful place in the world.

Jaafari should adjust Iraq’s foreign policy to focus on all countries rather than only on relations with Arab countries based on racial ties so that Iraq can begin to play its appropriate role in the global decision-making process.

Despite the ethnic and sectarian diversity of Iraq and the differences of opinion on how to distribute power, harmony between all Iraqi groups is essential for the establishment of a stable democracy and the institutionalization of the rule of law in the country. Definitely, only the terrorist groups will benefit if these little disputes about control of one or more ministries continue.

Source Link: http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=4/30/2005&Cat=14&Num=001