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Now that America
is withdrawing its troops from Iraq - consistent with the bilateral
agreement, replete with time-horizons-it is now possible to scrutinize
the structure of the government that supplanted Saddam Hussein's
military dictatorship.
It amalgamates western-style, representative-democracy with adherence
to Islamic laws and Mideast-traditions.
Constitutional 'Original Intent'
This maturing country has adhered to the "Fundamental Principles"
embodied in its Constitution - which is not even a half-decade old -
and it can now, indeed, serve as a model for other non-terrorist
regimes in this volatile region.
Consider Article 2, which juxtaposes what might be considered to be an
admixture of water, oil and vinegar. No law can be passed that
contradicts three parameters: 1)The established provisions of Islam, 2
Principles of democracy, and (3) Stipulated rights and basic freedoms.
This, most notably, was achieved this past Feb. 13, when three bills
were passed ... each of which satisfied key-demands of the three major
ethnic groups (Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds): A budget that shared monies
with the provinces, Re-Ba'athification, and Regional Elections.
Without skipping a beat, the Constitution guarantees both "the Islamic
identity of the majority of the Iraqi people and guarantees the full
religious rights of all individuals to freedom of religious belief and
practice such as Christians, Yazedis, and Mandi Sabeans." It is
declared to be an "a part of the Islamic world" while being "a
founding and active member of the Arab League," even as it is
recognized to be "a country of many nationalities, religions and
sects" (as per Article 3).
Establishment of multiple official languages (as per Articles 4 and 5)
illustrates how the Constitution recognized the strength that arises
from marshalling heterogeneity. Indeed, even after recognizing the
need to use both Arabic and Kurdish languages, it guaranteed "The
right of Iraqis to educate their children in their mother tongue (such
as Turkmen, Syriac and Armenian) in government educational
institutions in accordance with educational guidelines, or in any
other language in private educational institutions." And it even
accommodates a flexible vision of the future: "Each region or
governorate may adopt any other local language as an additional
official language if the majority of its population so decide in a
general referendum."
Legislative Innovativeness
Consider what the current Iraqi government has eschewed, and now
encompasses. Saddam's regime could be perceived as "pre-modern," in
that it emphasized authority, tradition, class-separation from birth,
internalized communication and localized economics. Western regimes
could be perceived as based on "modernism," in that they emphasize
ethnocentrism, empiricism, secularism, industrialization, capitalism,
and consumerism.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's administration now combines
tradition and capitalism, mustering a multitude of voices (encouraged
to sing in unison) while uniquely supplementing Iraq's Muslim heritage
with other countries' experiences with representative democracy. Women
have voting rights, even as talk-radio flourishes. Freedom is
infectious, which is why both Osama bin Laden and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
have labored to undermine this government that meshes former
combatants.
This is the legacy of "Shock and Awe." For, regardless of debate over
the legality of the invasion, it has nurtured development of a
dynamic, post-modern infrastructure. Globalists bested paleo-isolationists
and naysayers. Eternal truths were fashioned from shards of knowledge.
Access to power has been reformulated as an art-form, now that
American antiterrorism has forced both al-Qaida and el-Sadr to have
marginalized themselves into near-oblivion.
As individuals subsume themselves within the needs of community and,
ultimately, to manifest enhanced responsibility for group/global
concerns (noting the growth, for example, of Iraq's armed forces),
awareness of alternate-interpretations of personal value-systems can
be celebrated as preferable to acting upon perceived self-interest.
This is how post-modern leadership begets post-modern behavior. The
scientific method is no longer extolled as the "ideal," and government
is expected to battle corruption and evil ... on behalf of its
citizenry. The burdens of nationhood are alleviated by hope, without
being burdened with the need to manifest any particular methodology.
Postmodernism In Its Glory
Rationalism has
been placed within a framework that constantly reformulates its model.
Fragmentation of society and an explosion of communication
alternatives has empowered individuals (and, here, a government) to
exert sufficient autonomy to create a unique environment and
narrative.
This term has been applied to philosophy and culture, promoted as an
emotionally truer picture of how people think and feel than had been
embodied by pre-industrial, enlightenment, or modern paradigms. A
shorthand method of appreciating this phenomenon is to note the
"ironic juxtaposition" manifest, for example, through the literary
form of "magical realism" and the ability of contemporary religions to
include Jewish Buddhism. A more academic study would necessitate
recognizing how policies are formulated in a non-linear fashion that
morphs the definitions of commonly-used terms into a cannon that
reflects what "Mesopotamia" connotes in this new millennium.
Recall how the Constitution's preamble denotes both aspiration and
reality, specifically denoting what has now been achieved as America
provided security for Iraq's young leaders: "We are the people of the
land between two rivers, the homeland of the apostles and prophets,
abode of the virtuous imams, pioneers of civilization, crafters of
writing and cradle of numeration. Upon our land the first law made by
man was passed, the most ancient just pact for homelands policy was
inscribed, and upon our soil, companions of the Prophet and saints
prayed, philosophers and scientists theorized and writers and poets
excelled."
Dr. Robert Sklaroff is a member of the Philadelphia ZOA Board and a
physician. He writes occasionally for The Bulletin; his e-mail address
is
rsklaroff@comcast.net. |