Chaotic Democracy It scares me that a lot of people really used to think that there will be true democracy in Iraq shortly after Saddam is toppled. How naive. If the Bush administration did facilitate free elections in Iraq, an anti-US-government and a defiant civil service would be in power. I'm not sure whether they knew it before (so they were lying about the prospects) or they didn't (so they are dilettantes).
There will be no democracy in Iraq for exactly this reason. They will never choose to like us. There was never a plan for democracy in Iraq. The US occupation will continue indefinitely, because no matter what or who the people choose, they would never choose us. The growing disgust and hatred toward the occupation force will grow and become increasingly violent and will be labelled by the Bush administration as it is now: dying gasps of a dying regime and loyal elements of the Ba'ath party rising up. What will never pass their lips is the truth: that the people of Iraq have been swindled, promised everything and given nothing and now they resent us for it and would kill and die to get us out of their country. They will stifle democracy and cancel elections until the voters get it right, which isn't democracy.
Or perhaps democracy will come to Iraq when the U.S. has enough money. Bush is facing wavering support heading into the 2004 elections, and dumping millions into building highways, creating jobs, and establishing a stable Iraq is not exactly an option for him, especially when he's failing to do those things in the States (our road's could use work and unemployment is still rather high). To help Iraq in any reasonable way, the U.S. must fund Iraq as it would fund a State, with billions of dollars to build the country. Five years of significant help followed by ten years of limited aid and Iraq could easily be a powerhouse. Even employing the millions of unemployed Iraqis to do civil projects (plant trees, build highways) and paying them decently would do enough for Iraq in twelve months to create a full turn-around. Democracy can come to Iraq, though I fear it's a costly venture that Bush would never undertake this close to an election. If the people of Iraq can wait until 2005 for real change, I could see them getting it.