U.S. Expert Sees Iraq Elections as Seminal Mideast Event of 2005

By David Anthony Denny, Washington File

AEI's Muravchik cites "unprecedented" number of honest elections

Washington - The number of "honest, competitive elections" Middle Eastern nations held in 2005 is "completely unprecedented" and the most visible sign of democracy in that region, according to U.S. Middle East expert Joshua Muravchik.

Muravchik, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a U.S. policy research and analysis institute in Washington, participated in an interactive, Internet-based "webchat" with several Middle Eastern journalists on December 20. Through a connection to http://usinfo.state.gov, Muravchik received questions as text messages, and answered immediately the same way. His topic was the future of post-election Iraq.

Muravchik cited the annual survey of Freedom in the World by the nongovernmental organization Freedom House, issued December 19. "[I]ts biggest finding is the beginning of a trend toward more freedom in the Islamic world," he said. "This is a notable shift." (See related article.)

Asked for his view of the Bush doctrine in foreign policy, Muravchik said the president "hopes that the spread of democracy will lead to an end to terrorism." Bush believes that "where people have the opportunity to pursue their goals by peaceful politics, they won't resort to violence" and that "the normal give-and-take of democracy" will have a moderating effect, he said.

"The Middle East - more than any other region - has lacked democracy, but this is beginning to change," he said.

Muravchik declined to offer a personal vision for the Middle East, instead noting that, "My image is simply that democratic processes will take hold so that the Egyptians can shape their own future, the Iraqis theirs, the Syrians theirs, etc."

For Muravchik, "The whole point of democracy is that it allows people to pursue their own images of their future." He stressed that in a democracy, all are allowed to have their say in designing their future - "not just the people with guns or the strongest ones."

Muravchik said democracy can be an effective antidote to political violence. Democratization "enables people to fight for the causes they hold dear without using violence, but instead by arguing and mobilizing support for their beliefs," he said. He also sought to dissociate the term "radicalism" from violence.

"I am not afraid of 'radicalism' per se, but violence," Muravchik said. "It's OK with me if groups present very dramatic programs, as long as they don't try to enforce their programs by killing people."

Elsewhere in the region, Muravchik said he does not foresee the United States invading Syria militarily because of the current U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"But the Syrian government was not chosen by the Syrian people, and it is not reforming or democratizing," Muravchik continued. "On top of that, it continues to be involved in murdering Lebanese." He said Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad should "realize that a new wind is blowing in the region," and that "[i]t will blow him over unless he comes clean on the Hariri murder, and unless he embraces dramatic political reforms."

Asked what would prevent radicals from taking power legally in Iraq under its current system, Muravchik stated that such an outcome is possible in a democracy. But if radicals win, "they also must obey democratic rules," he added. "This means they cannot interfere with the next election, and they can be voted out.

"We can't prevent them from winning a fair election," Muravchik said. "But there must also be guarantees of the rights of all citizens. Democracy does not mean only rule by the majority. It also means protection of the rights of the minority."

Source: U.S. Department of State