[lbo-talk] Fwd: Letter to the Editor: What kind of government for Iraq?

[Doug Henwood]

>Dear Editor:
>
>If the United States is to take upon itself the responsibility for
>installing a new government in Iraq, it should stop talking about
>democracy and focus instead on forming a government based on the
>principles of the American system.
>
>America is *not* a democracy (which means unlimited majority rule).
>America is a *constitutional republic*. America was founded on the
>principle that the rights of the individual (to life, liberty and the
>pursuit of happiness) are inalienable and cannot be voted away by a
>majority. The new Iraqi government should emulate the American example
>and implement a constitution and Bill of Rights modeled after the
>American founding documents.
>
>Most important, the new Iraqi constitution must include a *total
>separation* of religion and state. Otherwise the Iraqis may
>democratically vote their religious leaders into power and turn Iraq
>into a new theocracy like the one we destroyed in Afghanistan or the one
>we have yet to destroy in Iran. Thus, the United States must make sure
>it did not go to war only to replace a secular dictator with a religious
>one.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>David Holcberg
>Ayn Rand Institute, CA
>92606
>United States
>949-222-6550 ext. 226
>davidh at aynrand.org