Beyond Technicality
Reader comment on item: After Saddam? Remaking the Mideast

Submitted by A H (United States), Feb 13, 2003 at 19:26

Al-Hajjaj Bin Yousuf Al-Thaqafi, Abdul Karim Kassem, and Saddam. Three big names in the history of Iraq. Torture, cruelty and totalitarianism are interwoven into the Iraqi culture. There is neither a history nor a culture of democracy in Iraq. The same applies to many Muslem and Arab countries. I think democracy starts with values and culture before claiming the right to vote or to run political campaigns. It will take at least one or two generations to comprehend what democracy and tolerance are in that part of the world. Although I share Professor Ajami his optimism, I am not expecting immediate results, even with heavy US involvement.

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