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A WEALTH OF HARD DATA ON THE SITUATION IN IRAQ

Prepared by Brookings. I have just begun to read the material but this will interest academics and foreign policy buffs.

IRAQ’S CONSTITUTION

The Chicago Tribune is running a profile on the Iraqi-American lawyer who has emerged as a key figure in brokering compromises over the proposed Iraqi Constitution – including the clause that denotes the Islamic character of Iraq but stops short of making the Sharia the Constitutional basis for positive legislation.

The Bush administration squandered any opportunity for a ” MacArthur Moment ” by failing to push through democratic reforms in the immediate aftermath of defeat when the shock and potential goodwill of Iraqis were at their peak. The disorganization, confusion and isolation of the CPA frittered away valuable time and political legitimacy to the point where the entire process now hangs by a thread of Sistani’s apparent willingness to make reasonable concessions to the fears of Kurds,Sunnis and smaller minorities. Moreover, Sistani’s authority is informal and he could easily die or be eclipsed by more radical voices ( though the interests of the Shiite community, which form Sistani’s calculus would not change).

Iraq is a majority Islamic society and a democratic system will reflect that so conceding that point costs nothing. Bremer however must stand firm on saying ” no” the Sharia and ” yes ” for the political equality of women – to cave here is to give away the game to the Islamists and hand them an advantage they probably could not win at the ballot box.

A CAPITAL IDEA ! ( Intellectual capital that is)

Juan Cole has launched a project to translate American literature and political writings into Arabic. This strikes me as an eminently sensible idea and something that should have been done by the State Department or The National Endowment for Democracy ages ago. Arabs in repressive regimes have probably less access to Western ideas than Russians did under the Soviets when a vigorous samizdat literature circulated-albeit with risk – in the 1960’s and 1970’s. This is an effort anyone with an interest in intellectual freedom can support ( Professor Cole has Paypal set up for those wishing to contribute).

CAMPUS TOTALITARIANS IN RETREAT

Let us celebrate.

TWO VIEWS OF IRAN

Iran has become the pre-Solidarity Poland of Islamism. How long the aging hardline mullahs will manage to keep a lid on the discontent of a young,restless and economically frustrated population is anybody’s guess but here are two articles on the situation today – go here and here.