On NRO, Andrew J. and Judith S. Kleinfeld write about Iraq's 20th century experiment with freedom, and they discuss the things we can do to help in its 21st century opportunity. Excerpt:
Iraqis have a second chance for individual freedom and democracy now, even though an earlier generation threw it away. Losing a war, as Iraq has, affords a superb opportunity for cultural and political reform, because it removes and discredits old authorities. What the Iraqis can do, like other countries — Mongolia, Poland, the Czech Republic — that have recently made existential choices to be free, is to find and develop a usable culture that supports individual freedom. The creation of a culture that supports democracy and freedom is an intellectual infrastructure-construction project that, unlike producing water and electricity, only the Iraqis can perform. We can contribute, as we did with support for cultural projects protecting freedom in postwar Europe. And during the transition from the old regime to the new, we can provide some physical security for Iraqis seeking to institute a regime of freedom. But all we can do, really, is lower the barriers for the Iraqis to reform their own culture. They will have to find their own stories and heroes of individual freedom. Freedom is the Iraqis' choice. No one can give a people freedom and make them keep the package. They have to take it.
Worthwhile reading.
Posted by oscarjr at September 24, 2003 11:49 PM | TrackBack