Let me explain what I just did. I went to Google (
www.goodle.com) and typed in "Democracy in Iraq." The next thing I did was go to a website. This happens to be the Council on Foreign Relations website. Here I located this article titled "Why Jan. 30 Won't Work"
http://www.cfr.org/pub7543/leslie_h_gelb_peter_galbraith/why_jan_30_wont_work.php
Let me quote some FACTS from this article, so you may separate facts from opinion.
"For one thing, most Sunni Arab leaders are telling their followers to boycott, and Sunni insurgents, even after Fallouja, can still mount attacks all across the Sunni Triangle and will disrupt substantially the elections there." This means that the Sunni Arabs are not happy with how the elections are structured, and not satisfied with the potential government.
"Sunni Arab turnout... might well be as low as a quarter of their total number, compared with likely Kurd and Shiite voters reaching three-quarters of their totals, or more. In 1992, more than 90% of Kurds voted in free elections in the north." This means that the Sunnis are underrepresented in the new government, and the Kurds are given executive power over them.
"...Sunni Arabs could end up holding only 5% of the assembly seats while constituting 20% of Iraq's population. Shiites could amass 65% of the seats with only 55% of the population, while the Kurds would have 25% of the seats with less than 20% of the population. Thus, Shiites and Kurds would dominate the elected assembly overwhelmingly, while Sunni Arabs effectively would be marginalized." Say goodbye to any legitimacy this altruistic government theoretically had...
"...Shiites would understandably expect to govern Iraq. But the reality is that Sunni Arabs will not accept rule by the very people they bossed and victimized for most of the last century." The Sunni Arabs have been the victim of more hate crimes and terrorism in the last century than America EVER will be.
"Shiite leaders would want to dictate the terms of Iraq's constitution. In fact, they opposed a provision in the country's interim constitution that would have given the two smaller groups a veto over the final document. This puts the Shiites on a collision course not only with Sunnis, but also with Iraq's powerful Kurdish minority. The Shiite parties are religious; the Kurdish parties are secular and nationalist. The Kurds, who have been de facto independent from Baghdad since 1991, look to the West for their political model; the Shiites are influenced by Iran. So, if Allawi and Bush go forward with nationwide elections in January, here's what they can expect: The Shiites will have the full legal authority derived from free and democratic elections, but not the power to enforce it outside their own region. Sunni Arabs will be further marginalized, and more will join the insurgents. Ethnic and religious conflict could explode."
Now, keep in mind this is old news, from Jan 30 when democracy was first being introduced (I guess). But the exact same problems still exist today.
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My Lamentable plight... ...I am calamity.
