Iraq: a Democracy in the Making

March 7th 2010 was a turning point in Iraq’s history. After Iraq established its independence in 1932 and after the execution of the infamous dictator Saddam Hussein in 2006 Iraq held its first democratic election. When we look back at Iraq’s past we learn of the horrors and hardships that its people have lived through. Throughout history almost all of Iraq’s rulers have come to power with military coup or bloody revolutions. The nationalist Arab officers started the modern history of Iraq with the assassination of its monarch Faisal II. Iraq has never being a strong, unified country and it’s always been under the influence of different powers such as Britain, America and the Soviet Union.

Iraq has been a country of constant warfare and crimes against humanity. The Kurds who are the second largest nationality in Iraq have been the victims of the fascist Baath (national) party of Saddam Hussein who deprived them of their democratic freedoms. The Kurds were always discriminated against for their nationality and language and the Shia minority much like the Kurds endured the most inhumane crimes imaginable. In 1988 Saddam began a campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the Kurdish population of Iraq known as the anfal campaign. 200,000 Kurds were buried alive and 5,000 in the Kurdish town of Halabja were exterminated by the use of poisonous gas all in one day. The people never had freedom or saying in government. Those who spoke against the central government were brutally terminated. In 1980, Iraq went to war with its neighboring country Iran for the return of the Persian Gulf which had previously been given to the shia of Iran in 1975 in a deal with Saddam in favor of suppressing the Kurdish movement in Iraq. Once the Islamic revolution brought Khomeini and his mullahs to power in 1979 Saddam demanded the return of the Persian Gulf but Khomeini refused and this resulted in the first 8 year long Gulf War which cost 2 million lives.

The main aim of the Baath party and their leader Saddam Hussein was to create a strong Arabic empire with Iraq as its central power. In 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait to gain the oil reserves and natural resources which would make further expansion possible. Kuwait plead for aid from the United Nations and a coalition of 32 countries led by the United States pushed Iraqi forces off Kuwaiti soil and ended the war. Had these nations not stepped in to stop Saddam there is no saying which country he might have invaded next? Saddam’s ruthless killings did not stop until the 2003 American invasion.

The people of Iraqi have never had any saying in government decisions and this is why Iraq has always had authoritarian leaders in the past. However, for the very first time Iraqi’s have the right to vote and a constitution which protects their rights and liberties. Even though, we hear of car bombings and terrorists activity there is no denying the fact that Iraqi’s enjoy an amount of freedom that they were not able to enjoy in the past. The people have decided to follow a path of democracy and as long as they continue on this pass their progress is unstoppable.