The failure of the Afghan army to curb the Taliban’s seizure of power contrasts with generally favorable developments in Iraq. As Afghanistan descends into the abyss, Iraq is advancing toward national and international legitimacy. After years of vigorous leadership, extremist threats, sectarian violence and Iranian interference, Iraq is becoming a self-sufficient democratic state and, at least for now, an impediment to Iran’s regional enlargement. The efforts, sacrifices and patience of the United States in Iraq are bearing fruit.
The United States found no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. What he did find was a homicidal regime led by Saddam Hussein and the remnants of a sectarian army whose mission was to brutalize the Iraqi people. Arabs and Kurds were on the brink of war. Although rich in oil and gas reserves, Iraq’s economic development had been hampered by state involvement aimed at enriching those who ruled. The rule of law meant nothing more than total obedience to Saddam.
Conditions in Iraq following the invasion may have seemed desperate, with an expanding Sunni insurgency, the arrival of foreign terrorists and Sunni-Shiite violence. Still, the United States and 35 partner countries worked with Iraqis from all political backgrounds, religious beliefs, and regions to help build a representative government that would meet the needs of all Iraqis.
The first step was to help Iraqis write a new constitution that provides for a separation of powers between branches of government and establishes basic rights for all Iraqis, regardless of sect, ethnicity and gender. It obliges the Iraqi state to rule of law, an independent judiciary, civilian control of the armed forces and universal suffrage. The constitution states that no less than 25% of parliamentarians are women and that it paved the way for Iraqi women for educational and professional equality, although in Iraq and elsewhere the words must be followed by actions.
Iraq’s constitution came into force after it was overwhelmingly passed in a national referendum in 2005. Since 2004, Iraq has had five peaceful transfers of power. Although their governments have acted unequally (some poor), none have clung to power when time ran out. A notable example is how Nouri al-Maliki, pro-Iran prime minister from 2006 to 2014, was succeeded without conflict by Haider al-Abadi, a less pro-Iranian figure from a different party. This record is unmatched among Arab countries and challenges experts’ predictions that Iraqi democracy would fail.