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 By Jack Lepiarz Dec. 26, 2005 Angry over the results of the December 15th election, and of the stalled results, angry Iraqi protesters have taken to the streets to voice their objections to the election. With new suicide bombings, roadside bombings, and mortar attacks, the tension in Iraq seems to be instigating further violence between Kurds, Sunnis, and Shi'ites. Qusay Salahaddin (a Sunni), a student at one of Iraq's most premiere universities in Mosul, was found dead last Sunday, his head riddled with bullets. Although he called his friend, Mohammed Jassim, saying that a Kurdish militia had kidnapped him before the line went dead. However, many students have also accused Shi'ite militias of the killing. No one has taken responsibility for the killing yet. In other news, multiple attacks raged out, one against a tank (although no details on the attack have been released), as well as various other attacks against U.S. patrols around the country. Thus far, election results indicate that the Shi'ites should retain their majority in Parliament. However, secular and Sunni politicians have threatened to boycott Parliament, and there have been calls for another election similar to those in the Ukraine last year. Iraqi president Jalal Talabani has said "Without the Sunni parties there will be no consensus government ... without consensus government there will be no unity, there will be no peace." After recent progress, the election results have renewed doubts among Americans and Iraqis that Iraq is far from being self-sufficient. Before the election, there had been numerous reports on the sheer amount of improvement in Iraq from September 2004. An enormous increase in self-sufficient Iraqi troop levels, and a period of relative calm during the election itself supported a belief that Iraq was beginning to fall under control. Obviously, the situation in Iraq is less than a rosey picture. Bombs and constant terrorist attacks seem to be a daily occurrence there. However, even I was forced to admit that we were making progress. But with the latest tensions and incidents, I once again begin to wonder if it is possible for us to be successful. Dealing with an enemy that gets its motivation from religion is not an easy task. The Crusades were a perfect example of that. It is very easy for religious fundamentalism to overcome basic logic and morality. Executing someone like Nick Berg or Qusay Salahaddin is much easier when one has convinced themself into believing that they are doing the will of God. The problem with Iraq is that in a fair, balanced election, it is most likely that the secular parties will lose, and that Iraq may very well become another Iran, which actually leaves us worse off than we were with Saddam Hussein. Saddam was a dictator who killed his own people, but he maintained a strong, secular control in Iraq. I'm not trying to praise him, but to be able to control Iraq as well as he did was pretty incredible. The United States is able to control Iraq to a point, but in the end, I do not think that Iraq will end up as the country that we want it to be. I think it will be a country will elections that are flawed and where secularism is pushed aside for religious fundamentalism. I'm interested in hearing others' thoughts on this. ------------ About the author: Jack Lepiarz is a senior at Madison High School. Born in Waco, Texas, he lived with the Big Apple Circus for much of his early childhood, eventually moving to Madison, New Jersey, where he now resides. Although he is often described as stubborn and egotistical, he tries to keep an open-mind towards new ideas and treat people the way he would like to be treated. Email: Jackwuzhere42@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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