Democracy In Iraq

(Forward Operating Base Hawk, Iraq) Just recently constituted is Iraqi Village, a permitted community of squatters in the Abu Ghraib area, with notables comprised of a town council, an imam, a sheik, and a mayor. These notables are in the initial stages of forming their democracy. Responsibilities are assigned for all governing members and they hold meetings to address each others grievances. For anything they can't resolve internally, they consult with Maj. Patrick Barry, Executive Officer of the 303rd Armor Battalion of the Washington National Guard, who, with his staff, help.

Last week, Ward Sanderson of Stars and Stripes sat in and took notes at one of the meetings. Here's an excerpt:

The ones who stood out first were the mayor, the imam and the sheik. The women, though, soon took over.

The mayor wore a navy jacket, the imam and sheik fluttered in turbaned and draped. The women wore floral-hued scarves. The mayor, the imam, the sheik and some stubbled men all took seats around the long table. Most of the women sat along the walls near the children.


The council would gather at the Forward Operating Base Hawk when things got out of hand, and ask the Americans for help. Their enthusiasms for voting combined with verbal jousting, talk of real violence and want of a strong man showed a people in search of democracy, but wanting desperately to impose their will upon the other guy nonetheless.

During the course of the meeting, the mayor would prove defensive, the imam would maintain pious distance from this thing called democracy, the sheik would pine for the days when he was held in highest esteem. The women in scarves, initially demure, would vent.

The village mayor had seized the daycare and installed his wife as principal and had hired his daughter-in-law, too, some said. The mayor said she was the most qualified.

Another man said the council sent him a letter threatening to use him as a human shield. The women of the daycare complained that the mayor's son showed up to the school brandishing an AK-47.

"Well, OK," Barry started. "Did anyone send a threatening letter that we should know about?"

"Sending threatening letters is a big deal, and I want to find out what's going on."

Someone said the council did not send any such letter: "This is a note when someone is out of order, and goes outside the rules," an interpreter explained.

The man who was disciplined by the letter had somehow interfered in the brouhaha over the daycare and something to do with sports, and was told to mind his own business.

A woman in a lilac scarf fired off a staccato burst in Arabic. There is nothing to the letter, she insisted.

The square-jawed major listened, fingers locked in front of him on the table. Beside him sat his civil affairs officer, 1st Lt. Glenn Allen. Sgt. 1st Class Richard Allen studied things from the back of the room.

After much heat, everyone seemed willing to forget the letter. "So there's no problem," Barry said. "Let's move on." [More at link]

I don't think the Iraqi Village council meetings are much different from what occurs in America. For example, I personally have been at homeowner's association meetings and heard staccato bursts in Arabic, Korean, and Spanish. Nonetheless, I'm proud of our military. I salute Maj. Barry and his men. And I wish the people of Iraqi Village the best fortune and great ease in their transition to being a free people.