Update on Iraq

Successful elections in Iraq at last. This is a year when the religious political parties and Kurdish autonomists, who are currently the Iraqi voice in Iraq, gave further ammunition to the insurgency by drafting a flawed constitution. It conferred too little power to the central government, misallocated oil revenues to the various provinces and threatened to squeeze the rights of women and minorities by giving undue importance to Islamic law. Along with the continuing violence and the American ineptitude in reconstruction, the political sidelining of the Sunni community has resulted in widespread discontent in Iraq, which has fueled the insurgency. The elections to the new parliament, with their high turnout and participation by all the major sections of society, bring hope that the country might recover from the miseries of the past 15 years. It is also a sign that the insurgents' method of isolating and intimidating the Sunni minority is not working. The boycotts by the Sunnis of the previous two national elections this year had only further weakened their status in the polity.

I hope that the new parliament will be wiser in the course it adopts. The constitution has to be reworked to ensure a stronger centre, fairer sharing of oil revenues and a more equitable state in terms of the rights its citizens possess. The insurgency is still strong, and there are clear signs of partisanship in the Iraqi police and military forces, as evidenced by reliable reports of the torture of Sunni prisoners in many government prisons (staffed primarily by Shia officers). Oil output and electricity generation in Iraq is still below the pre-2002 (when the US invasion happened) levels (NY Times, The State of Iraq, Dec 14). Religious parties influenced by the Iranian clergy threaten to give the Iraqi state an Islamic hue. Iraq has a tough course ahead, but the widespread public participation in the election is a hopeful sign.

American troops won't be leaving anytime soon, nor should they. However their role is becoming more and more inconspicuous. It is now, as the Indian Express suggested today (Dec 17), time for the Indian government to take a more active role in bolstering the nascent state. We must help with reconstruction and the training of the Iraqi security forces. As we seek a larger role in Asia and the rest of the world, we must be ready to play more prominent roles in international situations instead of simply clamouring for permanent seats in the UNSC. Our Navy's role in supporting the tsunami relief operations a year ago is an indication of how we should behave. Domestic and foreign policy both have to be changed for India to finally keep her tryst with destiny.