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June 8 - June 15,2003 |
Democracy in Iraq Precarious
Professor Saeed Rahnema suggests a future for a nation that risks oblivion
By Alberto Lunati
Originally Published: 2003-06-01
Just imagine a war fought in Italy, house to house, with bombs raining on Rome, Turin, Naples, Florence, killing scores of civilians. Then imagine looters, free to operate, devastating the Uffizi... How would you feel?"
Humiliated, depredated, this millennial culture has been razed, wounded in its pride and in its very memory. Hunger, thirst, and disease are ravaging these people, the first - possibly the only - who'll pay for this so-called "Iraqi Freedom" war. Welcome to Iraq, the cradle of civilization between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
The picture painted by Saeed Rahnema, professor of Political Science at York University, of the current situation in Iraq is as clear as it is tragic. Inevitably, it suggests a possible future for a nation that risks oblivion.
What is the real situation in Iraq, as you see it?
"Very different from that shown by most of the media. Misery and desolation are everywhere. A whole nation brought to its knees, broken first by many years of sanctions and now by the horror of war."
But the USA talks of the opportunity for a democratic rebirth of the country...
"The issue is much more complex and convoluted than what is commonly believed. It is rooted in a very rich, and unfortunately fragmented culture..."
What do you mean by that?
"Well, maybe the USA did not consider that now, in those parts of the Arab world, there are several movements vying for control, for different reasons, of a very interesting part of the Middle East. What's more, some of these movements aren't even recognized by mainstream Muslims."
Are you referring to Shiite Muslims?
"We should never forget that Shiites represent a good 60 percent of Iraqis. However, they have a problem with the Arab world: they are not recognized, at least from the religious standpoint, and it seems unlikely to do so anytime soon."
So?
"So, should the Shiites come to power in Iraq we would witness a first paradox: an Arab nation ruled by Shiites - Iranians do not count because they aren't Arabs. Unthinkable."
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