Kissing & Killing Cousins

There are now concerns that the new Shiite dominated government in Iraq could have close ties to Iran and a theocratic bent because of the overwhelming turnout and support that Abdul Aziz al-Hakim’s party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, which was founded in Iran, received. He has close ties to the Ayatollahs in Iran as does Moktada al-Sadr and Ahmet Chalabi who also got elected.

The fact is there are deep ethnic and cultural divisions between the Arian Iranians and Arab Iraqis. Since Arab warriors conquered much of the Asian continent some 1,300 years ago, Iraq has served as an Arab front line of defense against Persian ambitions. The latest round was the Iraq-Iran war of 1980 to 1988.

The Persian king Cyrus was the first to besiege and conquer Baghdad in 539 BC. The Iran-Iraq conflicts haven’t stopped since.

Baghdad was built to the north of Babylon in 762 A.D. as a Babylon clone and was the city from which the Abbasid rulers -- the caliphs -- ruled the Muslim world for five centuries.

Secular Iraq is also the front-line Arab country for true democracy. It, like Palestine, can show all Arab and Muslim countries how they can become democratic – already has in Lebanon and Egypt. How dictatorial presidents, kings, sheiks and emirs can be confronted by well-organized opposition parties, strong parliaments, a constitution and independent judiciaries.

The Iraqi election can propel a violent democratic wave across the region. It was a critical event with major implications for the region, especially in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria where the ruling families now face the reality of being removed by people power inspired by the Iraqis and Lebanese. The consequences can be deadly.