http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/02/01/jonathan-kay-iraqi-democracy-is-bush-s-true-legacy.aspx
>>> Mr. Bush's grand dream of a democratized Middle East has not become >>> reality. But at the very least, he liberated the Arab nation whose citizens >>> suffered more than all the rest. Saturday's elections show that >>> post-invasion Iraq, for all its violence, corruption and flaws, has become >>> a recognizably democratic country. Whatever else is said of Mr. Bush, he >>> must be given credit for this remarkable accomplishment. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/03/comment-iraq-elections >>> The only Islamic party to gain ground was the Dawa party of the Shia prime >>> minister Nouri al-Maliki - and even that party dropped the word Islamic >>> from its name. The power of Maliki, who has emerged a stronger leader than >>> expected, is further enhanced by these elections. Now no Islamic parties >>> will be able to control any provinces on their own. The election is thus a >>> big defeat for Iran which had hoped that Shia religious parties would >>> control the south and enable Iran to turn them into a mini Shia republic. Instead, a new generation of Iraqi politicians is coming forward. Many of them are young and secular. They have lived always in Iraq, not in exile; they are Iraqis with local roots first and foremost - they are not pan-Arabs or pan-Islamists. Nor do they have connections to the US. Iraq's polity is still fragile. Parliamentary elections later this year will be another test of whether the horrific inter-Islamic violence of recent years is over. The country is still far from united and its infrastructure still needs massive investment. But there are now real grounds to hope that Iraqis are finally on track to creating a far more decent society than they have ever had. This would never have been possible without the US-led overthrow of the psychotic Saddam family. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
