Democratic Nation Essay

Democracy in its ancient concept is a beautiful idea. It means a government by the people and for the people. Democracy empowers the people regardless of their social status and it promises freedom to exercise ideas and to choose the kind of life that we want. Democracy gives us a freedom of self-expression. Freedom is such an important element of democracy directly in contrast to tyranny of the dictatorial and authoritarian rule. Basham quoted from Welzel which says, â€Å"at this point in history, democracy has a positive image almost everywhere, but these favorable opinions are often superficial, and unless they are accompanied by deeper-rooted orientations of tolerance, trust, and a participatory outlook, the chances are poor that effective democracy will be present at the societal level† (Basham, p. 3). Democracy as a political reform that emerged in western and Asian countries almost centuries ago began to saturate the whole world. In this case, it is important to look into reasons why Iraq has to be democratic based on its political, social, and cultural conditions, as discussed below. Iraq has for many years been under tyrannical rule of Saddam Hussein and many of its citizens are dreaming of freedom under a democratic rule. Paul Woodruff asserts, â€Å"no one sleeps well in tyranny because the tyrant knows no law, and he is a terror to his people† (p. 64). In many democratic countries it was quite evidence that citizens enjoys more freedom and self-expression than in non-democratic countries. Thus the blessings of democracy are that it guaranties our freedom to exercise our highest capacities while it protects us from our worst tendencies. (p. 3) As the rule of tyranny ended, Iraq is now underway to become a democratic country under the guidance of the United States. But the imposing question is can Iraq overcome the challenges it faces to become a democratic nation? As we all know, Iraq have not emerged yet completely from the rubbles of destruction brought about by the war against the US led coalition to oust the tyrant ruler. Frequent suicidal bombings that are killing many innocent people continues to pose threat to the safety of its people and of everyone which are clear indications that the fangs of tyranny are still alive and giving signal of its desire to regain their power. The case of Afghanistan reminds us of the tyrannical rule of the Taliban who were toppled by the US backed anti Taliban Afghan forces but they remain a threat to the reign of peace and freedom in the Afghan people. Aside from the unstable political and social condition in Iraq that poses challenge to existing political and social structure, Hugh Starkey noted that the displacement of individuals and even groups, by war and the dire economic conditions as well as the â€Å"political movements based on ethnic, religious and narrowly nationalist ideologist† (p. 23) not only poses challenge but threaten democracy as well. But amidst this political and social problem, Starkey emphasized the need of education in general, and education for citizenship in particular if Iraq has to embrace democracy, for it â€Å"provide the mechanism for transmitting those core shared values that are essential if just and peaceful democratic societies are to be develop† (p. 23). It means that the challenges that threaten the existing political and social structure and the democracy can be subdue if an intensified educational approach are implemented focusing both on the education in general and education for citizenship in particular. Another question that needs answer is whether Iraq is prepared politically, socially, and culturally for democracy. In the survey conducted by Freedom House conducted from 1981 to 2002 that measures the values and beliefs of people in seventy countries regarding the society’s level of democracy. The survey concluded that for Islamic countries, the â€Å"prospects for democracy are particularly poor† (Basham, p. 3). The reason for this finding was that, for Islamic people democracy is problematic but better than any other form of government. Though, they have a poor prospect for democracy but the chance for acceptability is positive. Another reason that has to be considered is that, Iraqis has anti-American sentiment that is so pervasive though which, according to Ottaway, et. al, â€Å"the Middle East today lacks the domestic conditions that set the stage for democratic change elsewhere† (cited by Basham, p. 4). Religion is another factor for non-democratization of Iraq in which many of the practices and tradition of people in the democratic countries are very distinct from the Islamic faith. For instance, separation of authority and rights of both gender marks the difference. Democracy is hinder to gender equality. Culturally, Iraq seemed to be unprepared for democratic. In another study conducted, of the 150 tribes in Iraq, seventy-five percent of them exercised the terms â€Å"primordial allegiances. † In one example of this according to Basham is that, most Iraqis â€Å"view political nepotism as a moral duty rather than a civic problem† (p.5), as such a strong family bonds is still prevalent as in marriages between first or second cousins is still of significance in the society. This society’s condition is another hindrance in the democratization of Iraq according to Basham. Accordingly, the greater challenge that Iraq faces is the challenge of democracy it self. Audrey Osler noted that â€Å"even in the most proudly democratic societies, significant inequalities remain sections of the population maybe marginalized and anti democratic forces’ misuse freedom of speech to promote xenophobia and nationalistic populism† (p. 23). Democracy is often identified with what the traditional societies see in it, what they see in democracy is a â€Å"cultural devastation caused by American-style freedoms† (p. 6). Embracing democracy therefore could mean allowing western values of economic and especially political freedom to dominate the society. Thus, the question that must be answered is Does Iraq need democracy? Certainly democracy is not the immediate answer to the political and social problem of Iraq but in the end it will bring more economic benefits, peace, and social order. As Bruce M. Russett puts it, â€Å"in the modern international system, democracies have almost never fought each other† (p. 4). What Russett meant for this is that democracies rarely fight each other because they have other means of resolving conflict. Therefore, â€Å"the more democracies there are in the world the fewer potential adversaries †¦will have the wider the zone of peace† (p. 4). Ayers noted, Iraqis are cognizant of their situation yet they remain to what they are because of fear out of distrust to Americans and democratic life (p. 5).