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This is a quick post to Kudos to you for your courage! Caption: [An Iraqi woman cries tears of joy after casting her vote outside a polling station in the holy city of Najaf, Jan. 30, 2005. (Faleh Kheiber/Reuters)] |
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This is a quick post to Kudos to you for your courage! Caption: [An Iraqi woman cries tears of joy after casting her vote outside a polling station in the holy city of Najaf, Jan. 30, 2005. (Faleh Kheiber/Reuters)] |
I think the effort that was seen is clearly commendable and worth celebrating. Even the effort expended by expats (with some polling places able to clearly demonstrate turnouts over 70%) was really amazing. This fact is worth if not celebration perhpas a smile.
How it turns out after? That’s another matter and I hope it turns out well. It was far from a perfect event (things don’t go so well in the land of freedom either) but it will remain a tremendous moment in Iraqi history. That it got here the way it did was disappointing and, in fact, that journey is the sour part of it.
Will it create legitimacy? In those who want it of course. In others, I’m not so sure, but perhaps. Will it end the insurgency? Of course not. Power redistribution is not going to be pretty. We can only hope it doesn’t go the way of the Iranian polls, that Sistani and his ilk err on the side of secularism and inclusion, despite what is bound to be a low turnout on the Sunni side of the street.
Well to a degree. I’ve seen a few elections in my time, the substance is important not the thing itself. I’m yet to see the country participation break-down, but with Shi’a and Kurd areas in relative calm, I wouldn’t say the Iraqi people sent a message of any kind. Plus using the rations system to identify the voters make me uneasy, very much similar to Iran where many vote just to get the stamp in their ID (next to their would-be ration stamps). Incidentally, so far the reports out of Iraq have been very similar to the Iranian government propaganda after the last parliamentary elections (which was boycotted by many people). Exaggerations in the level of participation and pompous announcements about how ‘the people’ have ‘sent a very powerful message’ to the ‘enemies of Islam’.
Well Arash, that’s not the point. Regardless of the results, Iraqis sent a very powerful message yesterday, a message that was a blow to the insurgency that is shattering the daily lives of Iraqis. Yesterday, Iraqis unanimously said “no to terrorism”. This by itself is worth celebrating, don’t you think?
I’d wait for the results first.
I’m crying tears of joy!!! So were many Iraqi friends I talked to yesterday to congratulate them. And already making plans to go back! The future won’t be easy, but the the majority have made their voice clear.
It really is a great moment for them. I think the Churchill quote that is most apt is the one where he spoke about “their finest hour”. In order for nations to be built, they must have pride and sacrifice and the threat of violence turned what would have been an ordinary act, voting, into a courageous one, elevating the action from just a play for political voice to a statement about where they want their country to go.
Though i had hoped they would wait on the elections until the violence came to an end, I have to say I am very happy for the Iraqi people who went out and voted with the threat of dealth looming over their minds. Wow, what courage. As you said Natasha, that is real patriotism. I wish we had Americans that were that dedicated to voting.
But now, lets hope this election works out for the good and not for the bad. I hope its legit in every way. HEy, if tampering with votes can happen in the USA, it can happene anywhere, unfortunately.
A truly happy day, I almost cried reading what’s happening there. Hopefully, this will fix Iraq, and quell the insurgency.
And Natasha, maybe Abu Musab will be so marginalized that we will no longer hear ‘the Jordanian militant,’ did this or that.
Malhas
“Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried.”
– Winston Churchill
Yey, someone’s reading LOTR! Hope you’re enjoying it 🙂
Congrats to those casting their votes both inside and outside Iraq. May this be the beginning of something great….you all deserve it and more.