There doesn't seem to be much optimism, either among the punditry or the American public, towards the Iraqi elections on Sunday. Recent polls have shown that over half of Americans do not think it is likely Iraq will develop into a stable democracy, and a similar number no longer believe that removing Saddam was worth it. This is unfortunate, and I have to disagree with the prevailing sentiment.
This is war and war is neither smooth nor bloodless. We face a desperate enemy who will kill anyone and everyone to insure what they need to survive stays in place.
That which they need is tyranny and despotism, for terrorism is able to thrive off oppression by using the discontent of the oppressed to justify it's actions. The only way to beat terrorism in the long run is to plant freedom and democracy in tyranny's place. Without the discontent the terrorism shrivels up and dies, underlining why it is so important that the elections go forward on Sunday.
If you want to gauge just how important these elections are, observe how desperate and deadly the insurgency in Iraq is getting. They know the stakes, and so must we.
Many on the ground who are seeing more than what is being reported keep saying that the world is going to be surprised at what happens on Sunday. The Iraqis themselves are very eager to vote and most are not going to be intimidated by the terror. The yearning for freedom will defeat the terrorism that is desperate to keep Iraq from realizing that freedom.
To those Americans pessimistic about democracy in Iraq, I offer you this: believe in the power of democracy, for in the end it always triumphs over tyranny and oppression.
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