Iraq Election: Wider Significance
Amir Taheri

Talk to Iraqis on any subject these days and you are likely to hear one word: ba’ad!

This is short for the phrase “ba’ad al-intikhabat” which means “after the elections.” Weddings are postponed until after the elections, as are business contracts, poetry recitals, the opening of new plays, the start of the football season, and, of course, the rebuilding of towns and villages wrecked by months of insurgency. Also put on hold are big projects financed by the $18 billion US aid package and more than $6 billion pledged by Europe, Japan and the Arab states.

Never have so many people pinned so much hope on a single day of voting, Jan. 30, 2005, that is to give Iraq its first freely elected Parliament plus provincial and regional councils.

This is truly a must-read op-ed from Amir Taheri. He notes how much the Iraqis themselves are putting on the upcoming elections and why they believe it so vital to their own future. It’s a pity that more American media aren’t syndicating his columns, because his is a message that more people need to understand.

Read the whole thing.