Iraq Press Roundup

The Iraqi elections, between acceptance and refusal

Differing opinions regarding national elections are expected, unless a country is under a dictatorship. In the new Iraq, the people are allowed to express either complete rejection of the electoral process or back whichever candidate they choose.

More than 75 percent of the Iraqi population has taken part in national elections since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, despite the large number of people voicing their disapproval, Sot al-Iraq news service said Thursday.

The Iraqi people marched to the voting booths in 2005 despite the security threats. The incompetence of the new Iraqi government since then, however, has caused the people to grow wary of the voting process.

A recent survey by the independent High Electoral Commission shows fewer registered voters for the upcoming elections in January, causing some analysts to worry the decline is a sign of resentment despite recent security gains.

It is counterintuitive to refuse to take part in democratic elections based on frustration with the performance of the current government. The more the Iraqi government fails to improve the lives of the people by continuing to deny even basic municipal services, the more the people should embrace the right to vote.

The culture of dialogue or the language of weapons?

The 30 years that the Iraqi people lived under dictatorship caused them to grow accustomed to the language of violence and weapons.

An ideology that embraces weapons and violence is nothing new for Iraq, but was something the former Baath Party leadership advocated to turn instability into the status quo for Iraqi society, al-Ittihad newspaper of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan said Thursday.

The various militias created by Saddam Hussein instilled upon thousands of Iraqi youths blind allegiance to an ideology of violence. Politicians, university students and other organizations are still entangled in this education of violence today, the newspaper said.

Iraqi society will continue to struggle with this ideology until a dialogue of peace replaces a dialogue of violence throughout the country. It is the responsibility of the religious elite, first and foremost, to embrace this notion of peace while advocating a similar concept in the nation's educational system.

This will raise awareness in the minds of the Iraqi people that violence creates more violence and the road to peace lies in deliberation.

The Kurdish region in Iraq is a safe haven for all

Iraqi Kurdistan is one of the most stable parts of the country. Kurdish authorities, meanwhile, have made it difficult for people in greater Iraq to migrate to the region to escape the violence. Restricting movement, on the one hand, is a viable security measure, while on the other hand, prohibiting free movement within the country causes resentment.

Since the establishment of the Kurdistan Regional Government, officials have exerted great effort to deepen the notion of democracy, human rights and solidarity, the independent Kul al-Iraq newspaper said Thursday.

Kurdish elements in Iraq have historically armed themselves, notably in self-defense after brutal chemical weapons attacks in the late 1980s killed hundreds of thousands of Kurds in the Anfal campaign.

It was the KRG that acted to prevent civil disputes among the various religious, ethnic and sectarian groups by advocating a policy of tolerance and acceptance. The Kurds also have played a major role in the fight against terrorism and dealt with national crises in a reasonable way.

The KRG, for its part, acknowledges the attacks carried out by Kurdish elements loyal to the Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein, while other Kurds are in denial of the attacks against peaceful elements within their region, notably the minority Christian population.

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(Edited by Daniel Graeber)