Iraq has faced a multiplicity of challenges ever since Saddam Hussein was removed from power in 2003, but the main obstacle to its democratization process seems to stem more from religious/sectarian and ethnic-oriented divide.
From the reading, it is clear that sectarian and ethnic-based politics, which is sanctioned by the Shiite-Kurdish axis, has dominated the Iraq political scene ever since the dethronement of authoritarian dictator Saddam Hussein (Ghanim 33). It is imperative to mention that the Shiite-Kurdish alliance in question here is based on religious nuances, thus it would be entirely correct to suggest that religious divide is one of the main obstacle to the Iraq democratization process.
Indeed, upon reading the chapters, an opinion forms that ethno-sectarian polarization is not only the leading cause of a weak and divided Iraqi government, along with an ineffectual parliament (Ghanim 125), but it is also the mainstay through which minority tribes and women are repressed and coerced to compliance using violent means (Ghanim 34).
Perhaps it would be plausible to draw parallels between the situation in Iraq and the recently concluded elections in Egypt to demonstrate the role of religious sects in attempts to stifle the democratization process.
While we all know that democracy is based on individual rights and choices (Ghanim 44), and that it is the rule of the majority while guaranteeing the rights of the minority through constitutional channels (Ghanim 129), we see a situation in Iraq where the constitution stresses religious and sectarian rights at the expense of individual rights (Ghanim 44).
The rights of the minorities are not guaranteed in this setup. In Egypt, not only is the ruling elite (The Muslim Brotherhood) a conglomeration of Islamic groups with vested sectarian interests, but minorities with a different political viewpoint continue to be killed mercilessly by Islamic fanatics (Ali para. 1).
Elections are supposed to spur the democratic process. Indeed, from the reading, it is clear that “…elections are an indispensable and integral part of democracy” (Ghanim 125).
However, in Iraq, elections are stage-managed via religious and ethno-sectarian interests with the view to hinge the democratic process on the politics of exclusion, domination, repression, violence, and monopolization of power and wealth (Ghanim 135). In present-day Egypt, minorities and liberals are branded infidels, and religion is being applied to deny this group of the population their civil and democratic liberties (Ali para. 2).
Additionally, it can be deciphered from the reading that the act and process of power sharing in Iraq is not based on democratic institutions and principles; rather it is grounded on personalities, religious sects, and ethnicities (Ghanim 138).
Indeed, unlike in purely democratic scenarios where the real challenge of democracy should be to accommodate, reflect, and respond to the interests of the majority directly (Ghanim 139), Iraq power brokers are intuitively interested in satisfying ethno-sectarian interests, not mentioning that they take pride in aggravating religious and ethnic tensions while cultivating primordial loyalties (Ghanim 130).
From the foregoing, it can be tentatively argued that religious divide is a major obstacle to Iraq democratization process. Of course there are many other obstacles, some of which have been mentioned here, but they all seem to stem from Islamic extremism and ethno-sectarian predispositions. The task for the current government, therefore, should be to develop policies and strategies that could be used to tone down the Islamic fundamentalism that characterize Iraq political landscape.
Works Cited
Ali, Randa. Secularists carry a Foreign Agenda: Salafist Imam tells Pro-Sharia Protestors 2012. Web.
Ghanim, David. Iraq’s Dysfunctional Democracy, Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2011. Print.