>the anti-war movement should organize in international solidarity
>with the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis protesting in the street
>who are calling for the U.S. to leave, and for real democracy and
>real elections. "Election not Selection" has been one rallying cry.
The advice of Iranians (1953), Guatemalans (1954), Chileans (1973), Venezuelans (2002), etc. should be that it's not a good idea to put too much stock in elections alone. Your man, if he gets elected at all, may get de-selected shortly afterward.
Support the demand for direct elections if you wish, but let's not propagate any illusion that democracy can be achieved by elections. The only path toward democracy in Iraq is for Iraqis who want democracy to get very, very well organized, so they can fight for democracy before, during, and after elections, and prepared to defend themselves and any electoral gains they may achieve -- by force if necessary, especially in countries like Iraq where all social forces -- from foreign occupiers to resistance fighters to militias commanded by diverse political and religious authorities -- are well armed.
"The great scandal of Lenin was that he taught realpolitik to the lower classes and backward peoples." -- Ken MacLeod, "Empires and the Modern Prince," _The Early Days of a Better Nation_, Monday, February 02, 2004, <http://kenmacleod.blogspot.com/> -- Yoshie
* Bring Them Home Now! <http://www.bringthemhomenow.org/> * Calendars of Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html>, <http://www.freepress.org/calendar.php>, & <http://www.cpanews.org/> * Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osudivest.org/> * Al-Awda-Ohio: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio> * Solidarity: <http://www.solidarity-us.org/>