Putting a Show on in Iraq

Putting a Show on in Iraq

October 14, 2005

After weeks of negotiations, Iraq’s first constitutional referendum takes place tomorrow. For Iraqis, the vote will be at best a day of positive symbolism, when hope for the political process overtakes the deep ambivalence over the draft constitution. As Brookings scholar Michael O'Hanlon reminds us, "It's not enough to just have a good day in Iraq. We had a good day on January 30, too. And then we had a good few weeks after that. And then things got as bad as ever." Beyond the White House hype lies the truth of the situation on the ground.

• The administration still feels the need to script the scene on the ground. In what was supposed to be a “conversation with U.S. troops,” President Bush spoke to a handpicked group of U.S. troops via teleconference. When prodded by reporters, Pentagon communications aide Allison Barber “insisted” that questions "were not rehearsed," and that no "specific questions" were prepared. Unfortunately for Barber, she was caught on tape doing just that – running through all the questions that Bush was going to ask. (Watch the video.) Despite this, the administration repeatedly refused to admit that the teleconference was yet another choreographed photo-op.
  
  
• The constitution itself will not grant peace and democracy to Iraq. The Bush administration argues that the constitution is an “example of democratic progress in the Middle East.” That might be overstating the case. As the Financial Times argues, Iraq's constitution "is only valuable if applied in spirit and to the letter and it is far from clear that Iraq will have a government that will respect the charter." It remains to be seen if Iraq will follow the constitution or follow the path of other Middle Eastern countries that have constitutions that guarantee human rights but don’t apply those rights in everyday life.
  
  
• Iraqis are more concerned about daily life than the constitution. While many Iraqis are happy to vote in tomorrow’s referendum, most people have more mundane concerns and questions: When will our road be paved? When will the power lines be fixed? The problem is not simply that most Iraqis are "more worried about the suicide bombings, the power shortages, the lack of jobs and the inability of the ruling factions to control their squabbling militias than about the precise constitutional wording." It's that they are being asked to approve a document that most haven't even had the chance to read.