Iraqi Democracy -- US style

Given that WMDs are no longer the reason for $200 billion and thousands of lives lost, it's interesting to see how the other rationales are playing out.

Like, for example, "Democracy".

The U.S. occupation authority has decided to handpick between 25 and 30 Iraqis to serve on an interim political council to advise U.S. officials on day-to-day governance issues rather than convene a large assembly where Iraqi delegates would debate the form and membership of their transitional administration, a senior U.S. official said today.

Iraqis expected that an interim government would be chosen at a national conference next month attended by hundreds of representatives from the country's religious, ethnic and tribal groups. The assembly was regarded as the first and most significant step by the United States toward sharing power with Iraqis, who have increased their demands for self-governance. The interim government would have quickly assumed responsibility for non-security ministries, such as education and health.

The Bush administration's decision to back away from such an open selection process, which U.S. officials had supported a few weeks ago, is the latest in a series of policy reversals.

Such "policy reversals" are necessary because the US and the UK both have no clue what they're doing. And the Iraqi people are having none of it:

British occupation forces here tried to put a new local governing council in place today, but residents who were angry that it was handpicked by the British poured into Basra's streets by the thousands in protest.

"We can manage ourselves, by ourselves," read one of the banners carried by demonstrators.

Of course, the US has no interest in allowing real Democracy in Iraq -- it would undoubtedly lead to the creation of an Islamic state, the last thing the US needs in the region (it would be nothing short of a disaster).

Thus the US and its UK lapdog are reduced to empty platitudes about Democracy as it seeks to install a puppet regime that will keep the fundamentalists at bay.

So no WMDs. No Democracy. Terrorism is still going strong. Any other pre-war rationales still standing?

It looks as though "we got rid of a brutal dictator" is the only rationale left standing. Not a bad one, but by itself nowhere near enough to justify the war, the continued attacks and loss of life, (like this, and this, and this), and the $200 billion this war and occupation is initially costing us.

Posted June 02, 2003 08:19 AM | Comments (84)