Only time will tell whether the notion of democracy will become viable in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the recent elections are a strong step in the right direction. Iraq, with careful guidance from the UN, has the distinct possibility to be a shining example of what democracy really is. After all the majority of the population have been striving for this right to free speech ever since Suddam took power all those years ago.
As David Pryce-Jones said in the National Review on November 24, 2003:
They [Iraqis] have never been so free and prosperous, and they expect things will get better still. There's been banking and currency reform, with lines of credit now readily available. Markets are thriving, property values are rising. Welcome novelties include free speech and almost 200 periodicals; Internet cafes, bloggers, and cellphones are everywhere.
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About 90,000 Iraqis are policemen or soldiers, a number growing all the time … The Iraqi Provisional Government is gradually acquiring power and capabilities, and one day in the not so distant future will become independent.
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About the Author
In November 2008, Alistair Campbell travelled around Iraq talking with people from many different tribal, ethnic and religious groups. He was there to assess the viability of a project he is initiating which involves starting a national schools debating league in Iraq, with view of taking the first ever Iraqi team to World Schools Debating Championships to be held in Qatar in 2010. His involvement with Iraq started when he was an organiser and a facilitator of the Youth Initiative for Progress in Iraq conference held in Jordan in July 2008; the conference was the first and only youth policy conference held specifically for Iraqi youth to discuss development issues and the conflict.
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