Hey crew
I saw on the news today that with the free elections held in Iraq that "we" are finally calling Iraq a success in democracy. My feelings are mixed(as usual). Be that as it may, I like others would like to know how the rest of us feel about that. I find it's a tough call, but I suppose those purple fingered and smiling faces they showed on TV mean more to the owners of those smiles than most of us. It's hard to feel happy about it, in the shadows of all the lost lives. I'm fully aware of the controversial and suspicious nature of the circumstances leading up the war and don't wish to hurtle any more stink bombs there, we've done that enough. But aside of all that, how do we feel here about it at this point? Can Iraq truly be a free and open democratic society. And does that mean we will have to have a presence there for a long time to come? Whether we ever agreed with it or not, or the changing face of reasoning for that war, we cannot go back::: and redesign anything.
Do we have any expectations regarding Iran's view of such a close democratic nation? Is Israel going to feel safer now that Iraq seems to be swaying towards a free nation? What obligations do we have to the peoples of that region's safety against extremism? How do the other neighboring Muslim countries feel about it now. Will their oil be a stumbling block in years to come?
Lucy.
