16 August 2005
Ignorant Arrogance – An Iraqi Constitution
Hey! It works for us; why not for everyone? That appears to be the Bush administration’s philosophy in Iraq. Maureen Dowd pointed this out about the ignorance of Islam by Bush’s advisors for Middle East policy in her OpEd piece in the August 13, 2005 New York Times. And now the drafters of a new Iraqi constitution are under pressure from the occupying Americans to complete a document that is to be subjected to referendum this October. As Al Franken suggested on August 16, 2005, why don’t they just adopt the U.S. Constitution?
How can we assume that a written outline of rights and rules of behavior will satisfy the longing of a diverse and long-repressed population for a way to assure its general welfare? What signal is there in the culture of the region that orderly government will ensue from the writing of a document by an elected group of representatives? That procedure may be required in order to reassure an “enlightened” society like the U.S. that the government it leaves behind after its intervention will act according to its expectations. However, where is the basis in history for believing that a constitution created by mortals will be the foundation of stable order in the Islamic Middle East?
Imposing Western-style rule of law in Iraq will require great political and budgetary cost. It will certainly cause a domino effect throughout the “Greater Middle East;” but it won’t be the one the neo-cons predicted. It could end whatever United States influence remains in other Arab nations.
Hey! It works for us; why not for everyone? That appears to be the Bush administration’s philosophy in Iraq. Maureen Dowd pointed this out about the ignorance of Islam by Bush’s advisors for Middle East policy in her OpEd piece in the August 13, 2005 New York Times. And now the drafters of a new Iraqi constitution are under pressure from the occupying Americans to complete a document that is to be subjected to referendum this October. As Al Franken suggested on August 16, 2005, why don’t they just adopt the U.S. Constitution?
How can we assume that a written outline of rights and rules of behavior will satisfy the longing of a diverse and long-repressed population for a way to assure its general welfare? What signal is there in the culture of the region that orderly government will ensue from the writing of a document by an elected group of representatives? That procedure may be required in order to reassure an “enlightened” society like the U.S. that the government it leaves behind after its intervention will act according to its expectations. However, where is the basis in history for believing that a constitution created by mortals will be the foundation of stable order in the Islamic Middle East?
Imposing Western-style rule of law in Iraq will require great political and budgetary cost. It will certainly cause a domino effect throughout the “Greater Middle East;” but it won’t be the one the neo-cons predicted. It could end whatever United States influence remains in other Arab nations.
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