Andrew Sullivan gives the case for a bright future in Iraq. Given that he’s been against Bush and generally pessimistic about the situation there, his case is all the more persuasive.
What strikes me about the whole situation in Iraq is that the Iraqis are more optimistic about their country than most Americans — of course, the Iraqis don’t have a relentlessly negative news media trying to spin the situation either. While Iraq remains unsettled, 65% of the Iraqi people are optimistic about their future, a figure that’s remained steady throughout all the turmoil. While only 40% think they’re better off since before the war, that figure reflects more on the current instability than it does on any love for the Ba’athist regime. 85% of Iraqis say that they intend to vote in the elections.
The security situation won’t remain like this forever. The removal of Fallujah as an insurgent base has severely weakened the insurgency. It remains dangerous, but with the supply lines from Syria disrupted, the terrorist’s operational tempo can’t be maintained. The fact that we’re adding more troops to safeguard the elections only makes it more difficult for the terrorists operating in Iraq.
The argument was made that Afghanistan would be incapable of holding a democratic election, yet yesterday Afghanistan’s first democratically elected leader was sworn in without any violence disrupting the proceedings. The Taliban have been unable to maintain power, and even former warlords like Ismail Khan have turned from war to politics.
Already Iraq’s economy is beginning to pick up, services are being restored, and Moqtada al-Sadr has gone from rebel to politician. So long as the coalition can prevent major outbreaks of violence during the elections, the situation in Iraq is bound to get better, not worse. Two thirds of Iraq’s population believe that a civil war is highly unlikely. The Sunnis are beginning to realize that unless they want to be left out of the political process they need to end the violence. Sadr City is no longer a no-go zone for US troops.
The majority of the Iraqi people are optimistic about the future of Iraq. They happen to be a lot closer to the situation than we are, and their optimism shows that the unending tide of negativity from the press is not the whole story in Iraq.
