"No Compromise"

"I assured them that the United States believes strongly that the Iraqi constitution should provide equal rights before the law for all Iraqis regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion or sect," Khalilzad said. "There can be no compromise."   WP

I am with Khalilzad on this one.  The idea that the US, which has summoned this Iraqi regime into being, should accept that its constitution would deprive citizens of that state of rights, status and benefits based on categorizations which are unacceptable here is just repulsive.

The late Edward Said wrote many books.  Most of them I disagreed with, but "Orientalism," was one with which I wholeheartedly agree.  The conceipt that leads scholars and dilettantes alike to believe that the preservation of Eastern cultures is more important than the well being of ordinary poeple in the Islamic World is really indifference to the welfare of real humans who would have to live with the kind of state that has been proposed in early drafts of the Iraq constitution.

It is one thing to study the ancient cultures of the Middle East and the Islamic World in order to better understand them.  It would be quite another to sponsor the de-secularization of a country in the region.  Anyone who wishes to justify the creation of such a constitution on the basis of "democracy" should consider the probability that the exercise of "democracy" in such a state will be as limited as it is in Iran where the Mullahs "screen" the candidates for election to mke sure that dissidents have no prospects.  pl

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/06/AR2005080601029.html

Comments

[Dan Prall]

In "No Compromise" 3rd paragraph; 'conceipt'. Conceit? Concept? Please correct & clarify. Gotcher back, BR.

[ismoot]

Dan

"Conceit"

Late at night. Have to remember to run spell check.

Pat

[ismoot]

Angels,

I don't "claim" anything and don't represent anyone or anyone's interest. My opinions are my own, and...

We did give our opinions to the governments concerned. They ignored us. That's a problem with sovereign states.

As for abuse in Iraq, I have already said it is our responsibility to stop it. You don't seem to have a grasp of how difficult all this for the people with the job. It is like herding cats. pl

[searp]

This is a depressing topic. I agree with Pat's general drift that you can tell governments your opinion, but outside opinions are unlikely to be determinate.

Reform in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait would probably bring the monarchies to an end (good riddance), but I think it would usher in democratic government that would be if anything more anti-Western. The monarchies need us; a genuine democracy may feel it doesn't.

Nope, sooner or later we will have to take our medecine and find out that we are genuinely unpopular. Hopefully we can stave that off until we don't need the oil, but I am pessimistic on that also.