POLITICS: Democracy in Action: Iraq

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BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — The government said Wednesday it would ban travel between provinces and extend the hours of a curfew as part of heightened security before Iraq's weekend elections.

..."The fate of country hinges on the participation of its people to determine its fate" ...(says Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib)...

He played down a report by Human Rights Watch that Iraqi security forces are arbitrarily arresting people and systematically torturing and abusing detainees. He acknowledged "some violations at the beginning" but added: "We have put it under control."

"We are forbidding any act of torture or anything else against the prisoners ... there are instructions in the ministry against using any of these techniques," he said.

The Human Rights Watch report said that with a few exceptions, Iraqi authorities have not acted to stop such mistreatment. International police advisers, largely funded by the U.S. government, "have turned a blind eye to these rampant abuses," it said.

"The Iraqi interim government led by Prime Minister Ayad Allawi ... appears to be actively taking part, or is at least complicit, in these grave violations of fundamental human rights. Nor has the United States, the United Kingdom or other involved governments publicly taken up these issues as a matter of concern," the report said.




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For a quick refresher:

The US has become adept at creating monsters. Osama bin Laden is only the latest in a long line of US-backed despots, dictators, and criminals against humanity. Too many times to count, the US has supplied the training and support to bring into power a leader who abuses human rights, traffics drugs, demolishes democracy, or commits massacres and genocide.

The official story is that the US -- usually through the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) -- has made a series of mistakes. Backing Saddam Hussein was a mistake. Backing Manuel Noriega was a mistake. Backing the Taliban was a mistake. The CIA took a chance on these guys, and the project backfired. There's even a word for it -- "blowback."

But the leaders in question hardly started out "good" and then "turned evil." Most of these leaders were corrupt, ruthless, anti-democratic, and murderous long before they bit the US hand that fed them. Often, it was this very behavior which made them suitable candidates for support. US backing only stopped when the leader was no longer useful in achieving US aims or became "disobedient."

The stories of these infamous leaders are often surprising and always disturbing, and they offer valuable insights into the strategy behind US foreign affairs.

www.geocities.com...

Originally posted by dixon
George of the Jungle cannot and will not lose his "face" and the Iraqis / region cannot stomach another American satellite there.

Originally posted by dixon
This option still causes a major embarrassment for George of the Jungle as many people will call it for what it really is : failure.

Confusion surrounds turnout statistics in Iraq's election, with the country's election commission backtracking on a statement that 72% had voted and top politicians insisting the turnout was high.

The commission said its initial tally had been little more than a guess based on local estimates.

"Turnout figures recently announced represent the enormous and understandable enthusiasm felt in the field on this historic day," a commission statement said.

"However, these figures are only very rough, word-of-mouth estimates gathered informally from the field. It will take some time for the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq to release accurate figures on turnout."

english.aljazeera.net...