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Tree of Liberty Taking Root in Iraq
The return of Lima Company last week reminds all of us the incomprehensible dangers that remain for our soldiers fighting in Iraq. We honor and celebrate their courage and sacrifice, and take pause to consider the remarkable progress we have made in bringing democracy and hope to a nation that for its entire existence, has known nothing but oppression and aggression. In an uncanny confluence of events, Lima Company’s return coincides with closure on Iraq’s tyrannous past as Saddam Hussein’s trial begins, along with a new beginning for Iraq as the Iraqi people vote on its constitution on October 15 th. Predictably and understandably, much has been made of the referendum on the Iraqi constitution and the form of government it aims to create. There are profoundly important questions under discussion: will the Sunnis be a repressed minority? Are we creating an Islamic theocracy? Will women have a diminished role in the new Iraq? Will a lack of Sunni support for the constitution lead to a protracted civil war? These are indeed difficult issues, and how they are resolved will unquestionably determine the future of the Iraqi nation. However, the big picture may have been somewhat lost in our examination of these issues. Unlike the previous election, the Sunnis are not boycotting this vote. Already, the Sunnis have recognized the importance of being active participants in the political process, and are embracing their right to determine their own future through the ballot box. They now understand that far more power is derived from participating in the democratic process than abstaining from it in protest -- a powerful lesson in the empowerment of freedom and freewill. While there has been much fretting over the possibility of the constitution being repealed on October 15 th, we needn’t do so. As we saw with the Sunni participation in this election, democracy is an evolutionary process, and not always created painlessly and seamlessly by government fiat. For the constitution to have any fundamental value or permanency, it should be repealed if a significant number of Iraqi people are opposed to it. Should that happen, a new National Assembly will be elected in December, and it will create a document more palatable to its people, and more protective of the rights of the minority, something that should be applauded. Dissention among the various factions within Iraq over its constitution is not indicative of doom or failure, and judging it as such holds Iraq to a higher standard than we hold ourselves. Bear in mind that before the new colonies approved our Constitution, for seven years our country was governed under the untenable Articles of Confederation. When our Constitution was drafted, not every delegate at the Philadelphia convention supported it. The country was sharply divided when the document was published, and six months of emotional and often bitter debate followed. Eminent delegates like George Mason declared that “he would sooner chop off his right hand” than sign the final draft constitution. Finally, not every state agreed to ratify the constitution in the initial vote, and in key states – like Virginia – the draft barely passed. Creating an inviolable blueprint for a nation’s future is not easy, but the people of Iraq will ultimately accomplish it, and the world will behold a democratic constitution approved by an elected assembly in the heart of the Greater Middle East. And for the Lima Company troops returning home, along with all of our men and women serving in the War on Terror, they can for the rest of their lives proudly look at this constitution as a tangible and lasting symbol of freedom and liberty in a part of the world that for centuries knew neither. |
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