.Region Unimpressed by Balloting in Iraq
CAIRO — Elections across this region have long been viewed as not much more than window dressing to tidy up the image of authoritarian leaders and absolute monarchs eager for greater legitimacy.
So from the outset, when Iraqis poured into the polls on Sunday to elect a new Parliament, the mere act of voting was not seen as a step toward democracy. That perception, combined with Election Day violence, American occupation and Iranian influence, left few analysts and commentators in the Middle East declaring the elections a success and Iraq on the road to stability.
“Iraq is a failure and a big mess,” said Hussein al-Shobokshy, a columnist for the Saudi Arabian owned pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Alawsat. “Iraq is a scary model right now,” he added. “It is so divided, vulgarly so.”
But that attitude, expressed in interviews with people across the Arab world, was also tempered by what was widely seen as the enduring spirit of the Iraqi people as they braved violence, again, to cast their ballots. And some political scientists and researchers said they drew a glimmer of hope from what appeared to be early stages of political pragmatism taking hold despite strict sectarian and tribal allegiances.
“It is very far from a real democracy,” said Osama Safa, general director of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies. “This voting exercise is not seen as the winds of democracy blowing through the region. People here still see Iraq as a very sad country, a lot of pain and hugely polarized. But that they are able to do something like this, that is what they found impressive.”
Praise, when it was offered, was cautious.
“It’s still a small step in Iraq; it’s a small minor turning point,” said Abdul Khaleq Abdullah, a political science professor at United Arab Emirates University. “Iraq is still full of challenges, and they are formidable challenges.”
But after seven years of occupation, with so many killed, maimed and displaced, and with so many scandals, like Abu Ghraib, this is a very cynical audience. If the United States had hoped that the sight of millions of average Iraqis streaming out to vote might have begun to edge regional public opinion about American involvement in Iraq to at least a more neutral place, it is likely to be disappointed.
“It could be seen in the West as very symbolic, as nice, as something that proves it was worth getting rid of Saddam, but definitely not in the Arab world,” said Randa Habib, a political analyst and newspaper columnist in Amman, Jordan. “Jordanians still see Iraq as being manipulated by outside forces. Their minds have been manipulated by Americans and Iranians, and the outcome of the election will not be the best for Iraqis.”
The fear of Iraq’s falling into Iran’s orbit, a common concern, may have sectarian underpinnings. Most of the region is majority Sunni, while Iran is the region’s only Shiite theocracy and Iraq has a newly empowered Shiite majority.
Even if elections are seen as a step toward democracy, which few allowed, elections under occupation are not, said Emad Gad, an expert on international relations with the Ahram Center of Political and Strategic Studies, a government-financed research center in Cairo.
“Free elections are the last step in a democracy,” he said. “Before that, you have to have a democratic society that accepts the values of democracy. In Iraq we see religious conflicts, sectarian conflicts. These are elections without democratic values.”
Across the region, the news media operate with varying degrees of restrictions. But even in the most censorship-prone nations, news commentators are often allowed to opine about events beyond their borders. They have been especially vocal about Iraq, flogging the West and its allies for unleashing chaos there.
But there was surprisingly little commentary written about the Iraqi elections in the days before the vote, which has been attributed to weariness with the topic and skepticism over the validity of the exercise, according to political analysts and Mideastwire.com, the news media monitoring company based in Beirut.
“People viewed it cynically — critically and skeptically,” said Ghanim Alnajjar, a political science professor at Kuwait University.
Once voters did go to the polls, Arab news media took notice, though primarily to report on the mechanics of the election, said Mirella Dagher, a regional analyst at Mideastwire.com.
“In contrast to the Western and especially U.S. portrayal of these elections as ‘do or die,’ ” Ms. Dagher said, “the Arab media seems to be under no illusion that Iraq is heading toward either progress and democracy or complete disaster with these polls. Instead ‘more of the same’ is generally being seen as a continuation of the country’s problems.”
For the average news viewer, it seemed like more of the same.
People around the region said they saw images of Iraqis voting, but also the more familiar and disturbing images of violence. That set people on edge and diluted what the West hoped might be a positive message of self-determination for Iraqis.
“I saw on Al Jazeera that Obama said that the elections went well in Iraq without problems,” said Dr. Ghada Fathy, 40, as she left a grocery store in the Nasr City district of Cairo. “But that wasn’t true; there was lots of violence. I became mad when I heard Obama’s words.”
It may be too soon to say with certainty if the outcome of the election will move Iraq closer to unity and healing, or if it will drive the factions further apart. But it is certain, people around the region said, that it will be a long time before Iraq is viewed broadly as free and democratic.
“People in the region are definitely interested in democracy and in practicing their own rights,” said Mr. Abdullah, the political science professor from United Arab Emirates University. “But the Iraqi experience will have an impact on the region only once it stabilizes. Right now, it is so sectarian and unstable that it turns people off. If it becomes a stable democracy, then it will have some impact.”
NYT
What a pile of crap, all this says is that neighboring regimes were not impressed. So what? Who the fuck cares about what the regimes think, I mean really what did you expect them to say, hurray for democracy? What an absurd story.
The fact that they have to come up with this cover story proves that the Iraqi elections threaten the neighbors stability and the dictators grip on power. Just think, the Iraqis braved not only the treat, but actual bombs to get to the polls, and they did it in big numbers, 69% , that's big.
We still don't know who they elected, but whoever comes out on top will have the most legitimate government in the entire region. They become the defacto leaders of the Arab world. Lets just hope the west treats them as such.
So from the outset, when Iraqis poured into the polls on Sunday to elect a new Parliament, the mere act of voting was not seen as a step toward democracy. That perception, combined with Election Day violence, American occupation and Iranian influence, left few analysts and commentators in the Middle East declaring the elections a success and Iraq on the road to stability.
“Iraq is a failure and a big mess,” said Hussein al-Shobokshy, a columnist for the Saudi Arabian owned pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Alawsat. “Iraq is a scary model right now,” he added. “It is so divided, vulgarly so.”
But that attitude, expressed in interviews with people across the Arab world, was also tempered by what was widely seen as the enduring spirit of the Iraqi people as they braved violence, again, to cast their ballots. And some political scientists and researchers said they drew a glimmer of hope from what appeared to be early stages of political pragmatism taking hold despite strict sectarian and tribal allegiances.
“It is very far from a real democracy,” said Osama Safa, general director of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies. “This voting exercise is not seen as the winds of democracy blowing through the region. People here still see Iraq as a very sad country, a lot of pain and hugely polarized. But that they are able to do something like this, that is what they found impressive.”
Praise, when it was offered, was cautious.
“It’s still a small step in Iraq; it’s a small minor turning point,” said Abdul Khaleq Abdullah, a political science professor at United Arab Emirates University. “Iraq is still full of challenges, and they are formidable challenges.”
But after seven years of occupation, with so many killed, maimed and displaced, and with so many scandals, like Abu Ghraib, this is a very cynical audience. If the United States had hoped that the sight of millions of average Iraqis streaming out to vote might have begun to edge regional public opinion about American involvement in Iraq to at least a more neutral place, it is likely to be disappointed.
“It could be seen in the West as very symbolic, as nice, as something that proves it was worth getting rid of Saddam, but definitely not in the Arab world,” said Randa Habib, a political analyst and newspaper columnist in Amman, Jordan. “Jordanians still see Iraq as being manipulated by outside forces. Their minds have been manipulated by Americans and Iranians, and the outcome of the election will not be the best for Iraqis.”
The fear of Iraq’s falling into Iran’s orbit, a common concern, may have sectarian underpinnings. Most of the region is majority Sunni, while Iran is the region’s only Shiite theocracy and Iraq has a newly empowered Shiite majority.
Even if elections are seen as a step toward democracy, which few allowed, elections under occupation are not, said Emad Gad, an expert on international relations with the Ahram Center of Political and Strategic Studies, a government-financed research center in Cairo.
“Free elections are the last step in a democracy,” he said. “Before that, you have to have a democratic society that accepts the values of democracy. In Iraq we see religious conflicts, sectarian conflicts. These are elections without democratic values.”
Across the region, the news media operate with varying degrees of restrictions. But even in the most censorship-prone nations, news commentators are often allowed to opine about events beyond their borders. They have been especially vocal about Iraq, flogging the West and its allies for unleashing chaos there.
But there was surprisingly little commentary written about the Iraqi elections in the days before the vote, which has been attributed to weariness with the topic and skepticism over the validity of the exercise, according to political analysts and Mideastwire.com, the news media monitoring company based in Beirut.
“People viewed it cynically — critically and skeptically,” said Ghanim Alnajjar, a political science professor at Kuwait University.
Once voters did go to the polls, Arab news media took notice, though primarily to report on the mechanics of the election, said Mirella Dagher, a regional analyst at Mideastwire.com.
“In contrast to the Western and especially U.S. portrayal of these elections as ‘do or die,’ ” Ms. Dagher said, “the Arab media seems to be under no illusion that Iraq is heading toward either progress and democracy or complete disaster with these polls. Instead ‘more of the same’ is generally being seen as a continuation of the country’s problems.”
For the average news viewer, it seemed like more of the same.
People around the region said they saw images of Iraqis voting, but also the more familiar and disturbing images of violence. That set people on edge and diluted what the West hoped might be a positive message of self-determination for Iraqis.
“I saw on Al Jazeera that Obama said that the elections went well in Iraq without problems,” said Dr. Ghada Fathy, 40, as she left a grocery store in the Nasr City district of Cairo. “But that wasn’t true; there was lots of violence. I became mad when I heard Obama’s words.”
It may be too soon to say with certainty if the outcome of the election will move Iraq closer to unity and healing, or if it will drive the factions further apart. But it is certain, people around the region said, that it will be a long time before Iraq is viewed broadly as free and democratic.
“People in the region are definitely interested in democracy and in practicing their own rights,” said Mr. Abdullah, the political science professor from United Arab Emirates University. “But the Iraqi experience will have an impact on the region only once it stabilizes. Right now, it is so sectarian and unstable that it turns people off. If it becomes a stable democracy, then it will have some impact.”
NYT
What a pile of crap, all this says is that neighboring regimes were not impressed. So what? Who the fuck cares about what the regimes think, I mean really what did you expect them to say, hurray for democracy? What an absurd story.
The fact that they have to come up with this cover story proves that the Iraqi elections threaten the neighbors stability and the dictators grip on power. Just think, the Iraqis braved not only the treat, but actual bombs to get to the polls, and they did it in big numbers, 69% , that's big.
We still don't know who they elected, but whoever comes out on top will have the most legitimate government in the entire region. They become the defacto leaders of the Arab world. Lets just hope the west treats them as such.
posted by madtom at 10:04 PM
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