Democracy
My experience in the study of democratization theory says that if we were to install a democratic system of government in Iraq right away, it would be a mistake of tragic proportions. As I see it, Iraq is not ready for democracy, and hardly ideal soil for growing one. Iraqi society is too fragmented for democracy to exist. A transition to democracy in Iraq would be too dangerous and the resulting government too feeble; thus, the institutionalization of democracy, particularly a federal form of it, would fall short. The United States is also too erratic, and the Iraqis too unreceptive, to give democracy the time it would need to grow and bear fruit.
In order to more clearly examine my opinion, I must first attempt to define democracy itself, however, there is probably no single word with more meanings than democracy. In the twentieth century, the word has been misused by dictators to persuade subjects that they lived in a just system. The Soviet Union used to claim it was the most democratic system in the world, and the government of mainland China still calls itself the "People's Republic". Democracy does not always equal freedom. Parties and elections can be used to bring dictatorial regimes into power. Democracy needs thoughtful citizens, limits on power, rule of law, and human and civil rights. Not every country that calls itself a democracy is one.
Democracy is more than just the way in which a government is made up, and perhaps counter-intuitively it is not even the ability to elect representatives. While those things may be necessary for democracy, their mere presence does not mean that a state will be a true democracy. Democracy is built upon the bedrock of civil society and civic virtue. A country such as Iraq that is split into two fracticious bodies will quickly fly apart if everyone has an equal say. There are three major religious factions in Iraq: the Shiites, the Sunnis, and the Kurds. Each of these...
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