Winds of Freedom

Now that the polls in Iraq have closed this election will undoubtedly be analyzed to death. However one thing is for certain, this election was a resounding success, not for the number of people who participated but for the fact it even occurred at all.

For too long the Iraqi people lived under the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein. For too long the Iraqi people went about their day-to-day business mindful of what they said in public lest it be heard by a member of one of the feared security apparatuses. Life was not easy under such conditions but many were too afraid to do anything about it.

There will be those who will try to trivialize the results of this election to further their own agenda. They will argue that voter turnout was too low. They will argue that democracy can never succeed in a Muslim nation for the Koran is the ultimate law. To the people of Iraq, this election is anything but trivial. One only has to read the stories. Are tales of soldiers carrying the elderly to the polling stations trivial? Are reports of eager voters standing in huge line-ups trivial? What about the thousands of folk who made the trek between Abu Ghraib and Gazaliyah, a 13 mile walk?

Being an armchair quarterback is easy. Being a naysayer is even easier. The bottom line is that these people risked everything to participate in an event that will shape the future of their country. Most of them have never experienced democracy but have heard the stories. Under the threat of violence and death they openly defied the criminal Abu Musab al-Zaqari and casually strolled to the polling stations, chanting and singing all the way. They are no longer afraid.

Ruthless dictators like Hussein do their best to isolate their people from the rest of the world. It is an exercise in futility in a world that is becoming smaller each day. Thanks in large part to technology such as the internet, satellite television, radio etc people have been exposed to the outside world and many like what they have seen. Remember Tiannemin Square? Remember the student protests in Iran? Remember the massive protests in Ukraine against the tainted election? I could go on. The point is the Iraqi people may have lived under oppression but they are not stupid. They realize that for the first time in their lives they can make a difference. They now have a voice in building a better future for themselves and their children and that future looks bright.

I'm not naive enough to think life will be a bed of roses from this point on. There will be more attacks and there will be more deaths. The terrorists will do everything they can to undermine the new government. The biggest battle to date has been won but the war is not over. There remains much to accomplish but the Iraqi people have taken a giant first step towards a better future. The people of Iraq are now the masters of their own destiny. I salute them and wish them well.

(cross-posted to Rite Turn Only)

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