Beacon of Hope

Elections are proving the power of democracy

America is the world’s pre-eminent military power, but it is not just the might of our armed forces that strikes fear into the hearts of our foes around the world. From Middle Eastern terrorists to Soviet-style despots the real threat from the United States comes in the form of ideas, specifically our nation’s standing as a beacon of hope for all those yearning for freedom and liberty.

The mounting violence in Iraq is a case in point. Insurgents (as the politically correct crowd likes to call the terrorists) are working overtime to disrupt the nationwide elections scheduled for the end of January. No less noteworthy a terrorist than Osama bin Laden has called for his allies in Iraq to boycott and sabotage the elections. (This despite the fact the mainstream American media has claimed for months that bin Laden has had nothing to do with Iraq.)

Why has disrupting, or at least discrediting, the Iraqi elections assumed such importance to the terrorists? You need look no further than nearby Afghanistan, or the Ukraine to find the answer.

Neither religious extremists like bin Laden, nor totalitarian holdovers like ousted Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, can maintain their grip on power so long as the people they seek to rule have the freedom to determine their own political destiny. And there is no greater instrument of liberty than free and fair elections.

It is nothing short of amazing that Afghanistan today has a democratically-elected President. Four years ago the end of Taliban rule was unimaginable, and the rise of a popularly-elected government unthinkable. And although Osama himself (assumedly) remains holed up in a cave somewhere in the rugged Afghan outback, that country has made amazing strides in restoring personal freedoms to its people.

Recent events in the Ukraine are the most striking in that region since the fall of the Soviet Union. Despite the best efforts by totalitarian interests to steal a nationwide election, even apparently to the drastic degree of trying to poison the opposition candidate, the will of the people has prevailed.

Taking matters into their own hands, the Ukrainian people poured into the streets demanding fair elections. When such elections were held, is was opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko who clearly prevailed – to the point that even Russian President Valdimir Putin had to accept the defeat of his erstwhile ally.

Back in Iraq , the worst case scenario for the terrorists, who have turned that troubled nation into a battleground, is for elections to be held on schedule on January 30th. Responsible authorities in that nation, ranging from interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi to Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, are working hard to ensure that the elections not only happen, but that Iraqi citizens exercise the right to vote that has come at so heavy a cost.

The Ayatollah has gone so far as to issue a fatwa, or religious decree, saying his followers would be shirking their religious duty if they failed to vote. Such support for free and fair elections from al-Sistani is crucial as Shiites comprise about 80% of Iraq ‘s population. The oppressed Kurds in the northern part of Iraq also support elections, leaving only Saddam Hussein’s Sunni minority in opposition to the scheduled vote.

Of course, the Sunni minority – which ruled Iraq through force and terror – realize they will have no hope of achieving power under a democratic regime. Unfortunately for all involved, they continue to use terrorist tactics as they strive to derail the upcoming elections.

This places U.S. Troops and legitimate Iraqi authorities literally in the terrorists’ bull’s eye. All involved are braced for escalating violence in Iraq as the date of the election draws ever closer.

Despite the daily drumbeat of the mainstream media that the situation in Iraq is “out of control,” we here in America must retain our resolve and not “go wobbly” as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher would say. Freedom and democracy have prevailed in such inhospitable places as Afghanistan and the Ukraine, and is about to take root in the heart of the Middle East .