May classical liberalism triumph in Iraq
and may all patriots of Iraq cast their vote in safety and certainty. Whatever the failures of policy, this one thing we can all agree upon, that Iraq's future is cast from today's mold, and that mold is better - perhaps not perfect, but better - for having replaced Saddam Hussein with democratic elections.
The elections are going to be violent today. People will die. A majority of Sunnis and possibly even a significant fraction of Shi'a will refuse to participate, or be cowed from participating. The Kurds remain a wildcard in a nation on the brink of civil war.
And yet there is something fundamental and primal about the mandate that the first elected government of Iraq in the modern era will lay claim to. Something that gives rise to hope, fragile and ephemeral as it may seem.
And remember, a struggling democracy, possibly even more fragile than Iraq, remains under siege in Afghanistan, though it hasn't received anywhere near as much attention.
We classical liberals, we neo-wilsonians, have a lot to be hopeful for, at the dawn of this new year.
The elections are going to be violent today. People will die. A majority of Sunnis and possibly even a significant fraction of Shi'a will refuse to participate, or be cowed from participating. The Kurds remain a wildcard in a nation on the brink of civil war.
And yet there is something fundamental and primal about the mandate that the first elected government of Iraq in the modern era will lay claim to. Something that gives rise to hope, fragile and ephemeral as it may seem.
And remember, a struggling democracy, possibly even more fragile than Iraq, remains under siege in Afghanistan, though it hasn't received anywhere near as much attention.
We classical liberals, we neo-wilsonians, have a lot to be hopeful for, at the dawn of this new year.
Comments