Electoral entanglements
By
El-Sayed Eleiwa
It is ironic that even as it calls on Middle Eastern countries to democratise, the US now frowns upon the prospect of democratic elections in Iraq. Just as ironic is the fact that Iraq has come to dominate the US presidential elections even as the US exercises dominance in Iraq. Since 11 September, foreign affairs have been high on the US domestic agenda. The war on terror, with its manifestations in Afghanistan then Iraq, is of higher profile on the US domestic scene than the more mundane matters of economy, employment, and social security.
The Americans are trying to persuade the UN to endorse the postponement of elections in Iraq, on the pretext that the country lacks a constitution, an election law, and voters' lists. The UN may be easy to convince, but not the Iraqis who are likely to continue their attacks on US targets.
Neither is the prospect of the Americans' yielding to the Shi'ite demand of general elections -- one that is likely to improve the situation of the US occupation. Once the Iraqis get their act together, they are likely to insist on even more freedoms, beginning with an end to occupation. This would reveal to the American public just how pointless much of their country's policy in Iraq has been. The Republican administration will find it hard to sustain its popularity with an American public that desires peace and stability.
For now, the Iraqis have become main players on the US domestic scene. The future of Iraq's elections has become inextricably linked with that of elections in the US itself.
This week's Soapbox speaker is professor of political science at Helwan University.
