“We fight for the possibility that decent men and women across the broader Middle East can realize their destiny — and raise up societies based on freedom and justice and personal dignity. And as long as I’m Commander-in-Chief we will fight to win.”
~ George Bush
de.moc.ra.cy 1. government in which supreme power is exercised directly by their people or their elected agents. 2. a state having such government 3. a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges.
The continued denial by this President that the US presence in Iraq is liberating continues to astonish even the most hardened followers of politics. In June of 2007 the democratically elected Parliament of Iraq voted to have the US set a timeline for troop withdraw. This resolution has been ignored.
Recently, the focus of US attention has been drawn to the alleged crimes of Blackwater. However, what is more remarkable is that once again US leadership continues to undermine the democracy that Bush continues to proudly speak of.
In regards to Blackwater and its operations in Iraq, immediately after the 2003 invasion, new laws were drafted to protect members of any private contractor working in Iraq from any investigation or judicial system, both in Iraq and in the US. Despite numerous complaints among the civilian population and Iraqi officials, the company continued to operate without any means for justice.
According to the Washington Post, Senior Iraqi officials repeatedly complained to U.S. officials about Blackwater USA’s alleged involvement in the deaths of numerous Iraqis, but the Americans took little action to regulate the private security firm until 11 Iraqis were shot dead last Sunday, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials. Until recently, alleged random killings and abuses by Blackwater have gone unnoticed by the media and the American populace. The article goes on to state; the lack of a U.S. response underscores the powerlessness of Iraqi officials to control the tens of thousands of security contractors…
Despite the current investigations under way and the repeated attempts by the Iraqi government to regulate Blackwater’s activities (including attempting to revoke Blackwater’s license), the company began operations this past week.
The actions of Blackwater and the US’s reluctance to allow Iraqis justice under these circumstances continue to demean the authority of this fledgling democracy. If the Bush administration is genuine in its efforts to assist Iraq with the establishment of a democracy, it must respect the legislative acts of that government. However, if the administration continues to undermine the Iraqi governments authority, our goal of a democratic Iraq will never appear. The only outcome from this type of cold arrogance will be a further deterioration of the circumstances there.
