Building Free Iraq
With each passing day the people of Iraq are closer still to that which few Arabs, living in the Middle East, have ever known – a free and democratic nation governed by and for the people. The man charged with the task of selecting the head of the next interim government is a Kurd, Jalal al-Talabani, he is aided on the president’s council by two vice presidents, a Sunni and a Shi’a (Ghazi al-Yawar and Adel Abdul Mahdi). The three, as expected have named Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a devout Shi’a doctor and member/leader of the Islamic Dawa Party, as the next Prime Minister of Iraq.
The incoming Prime Minister has 30 days to select a cabinet or Council of Ministers and then have the parliament approve it by a majority vote of confidence. In the interim, Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and his cabinet will maintain responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the government, this, even though Allawi has already tendered his resignation.
The process afterwards shifts to the drafting of a new constitution for Iraq and then the ratification of it by the people of Iraq in a vote to be held no later than October 15. The people of Iraq are building a nation in their image and to reflect their will. For this we should all be supportive and remain enthusiastic. Many Arab or Middle Eastern states remain, well, troubling and somewhat worrisome but the example being set in Iraq will continue to pressure Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran to enact a more democratic form of governance. That being the case, the battle to defeat islamo-fascism in the Arab and Muslim world will find new allies on the proverbial Arab street. As I’ve long been, I am optimistic and hopeful. And with that, I offer my congratulations and support to the Iraqi people and the Muslim and Arab men and women of good will through out the world.
