On Election Day here in America we show our civic pride by slapping on an "I Voted Today" sticker. In Iraq, they proudly display their ink-stained fingers.
On Sunday, many brave Iraqis made a statement to the world by getting out to vote in their country's first democratic election despite threats of grievous violence. In essence, they gave the insurgency and the terrorists leading it the finger.
From the news reports I can sense the excitement these people must have felt. Many wept for joy. Are we Americans as passionate about our right to vote? I'd like to think we are - we're just able to do it so much more easily.
I feel this demonstrates to the insurgency that they have not won the hearts and minds of the Iraqi majority - at least not yet. I am cautiously optimistic that this could be a turning point for Iraq, one way or the other. Certainly the "credibility" of the insurgency has reached an all-time low.
With this election, Iraq - along with Afghanistan - is already the closest thing to a democracy ever seen in the Arab world. And that scares a lot of people in that region. But despite all threats, intimidation, and the rhetoric from the jihadists (you can't call them freedom fighters!), the people have spoken.
And despite the negative viewpoints being broadcast by the Arab media, I can't help but think that a small seed may have been planted in the hearts and minds of many. In defiance to what they're being told, I can't help but think that there are some in the Arab world who are watching their Iraqi brethren gleefully casting their ballots on television and saying to themselves, "I want that."
Democratic revolution in the Arab world is a longshot, but in our lifetime we have witnessed something we didn't think remotely possible twenty years ago - the collapse of Communism in the Soviet Union and its satellites. Never underestimate the human spirit when it thirsts for freedom.
No comments:
Post a Comment