What Are the Impediments to Restoring Peace in Post-saddam Iraq - Essay Example

TOPIC 1: What are the impediments to restoring peace in post-Saddam Iraq, and how, if at all, can these impediments be overcome? Before coming on to the main obstacles behind restoring peace in post-Saddam Iraq and the ways and methods to overcome them, we should first try to understand Iraq as an nation, its entity, its history, its people, its religion, ethnicity and everything related to that country to understand things in the right perspective. To start with Iraq was recognized as part of the Ottoman Empire, It was under the imperial administration of Britain during the tenure of World War I. In the year 1920 Iraq was declared as a member of League of Nations under the United Kingdom administration. In and after several stages over the next 12 years or so, Iraq attained its independence in the year 1932. Iraq was proclaimed as a republic in the year 1958, but in actuality a series of military strongmen ruled the country until 2003. The last one known of them was Saddam Hussain. Iraq also had territorial disputes with Iran that led to an inconclusive and costly war for almost an decade from the year 1980 to 1988). In the year August 1990, Iraq captured Kuwait but was later on expelled by the US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War which happened during January-February 1991. It followed in the liberation of Kuwait, the UN Security Council (UNSC) put stringent conditions on Iraq to scrap all it’s weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspectors to inspect it’s suspected nuclear facilities and centers for making of weapons of mass-destruction like biological weapons. Iraq didn’t cede to and complied with the UNSC resolutions over a period of 12 years that in turn led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in the year March 2003 and the permanent ouster of the Saddam Hussain regime from Iraq.Under a UNSC mandate the coalition forces are keeping a vigil in Iraq trying to keep the democracy alive and helping to provide security to the common people and to support the freely elected democratic government. Iraq's economy is dominated by the oil sector, which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. Although looting, insurgent attacks, and sabotage have undermined economy rebuilding efforts, economic activity is beginning to pick up in areas recently secured by the US military surge. Oil exports are around levels seen before Operation Iraqi Freedom, and total government revenues have benefited from high oil prices. But other than these few bright prospects there are quite a few dampeners that lead to the major bottlenecks in the progress of Iraq Post-Saddam. Though it can be said that Saddam rose through the ranks of the Bath party and became it’s biggest leader over the years and with it became the sole ruler or the dictator of Iraq. But with it came over the years some voices of dissidence although they were in minority and were quite subdued due to the powerful position of Saddam and the ruthlessness against any sane voice by the establishment that these voices were never paid any heed, even on the international arena. It happened till the interests of the USA and other rich eurpean nations were hampered by the conquest and capture of Kuwait by the Iraqi forces in 1990. It was all politics and armed aggression for the control of the vibrant oil economy. Saddam Hussain readily understood that if he can control the oil trade of Kuwait he will rule the oil trade in the world with the combined might of Kuwait and Iraqi oil fields but he naver imagined in his wildest dreams that the European and specially the Americans will take this armed aggression of Iraqi forces so seriously. The reputation of Iraqi elite Republican Guards was in tatters after the Gulf war of the 1990. Eventually Iraq had to withdraw from Kuwait and sanctions were imposed on Iraq for its act of aggression. From here began the downfall of Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi people. The heavy sanctions took it’s toll with oil trade for an toss and foreign aid hard to come by. Even the basic amenities of life were very hard to come by. The popularity of Iraq that surged in the eyes of the local Iraqi populace during the Gulf war nose-dived in a shot in the later years after the Gulf war. UNSC had serious doubts that Saddam regime was engaging in the manufacture and enhancement of it’s nuclear capabilities and actively indulged in the development of weapons of mass-destruction or the biological weapons. The Iraqi regime was asked time and again to stop it’s nefarious activities and to allow the UN inspectors to inspect the Iraqi suspected premises. But the Iraqi government under the Saddam regime didn’t relent and took a hard stance to these inspections, vehemently denying any involvement in the making of weapons of mass-destruction. This non-cooperative stance of the Saddam regime led to the invasion of Iraq by the allied forces in 2003 under the leadrership of US. There was a lot of destruction on the ground that comes with a war. Saddam escaped with his confidantes but sadly no proof of weapons of mass destruction has been found till date. About a couple of years later Saddam was caught alive, tried and later executed for his crimes by an court. Though Saddam had become highly unpopular in the later years with the local Iraqi people but after his execution it raised fresh challenges for the restoration of peace in the region. Iraq’s total population constitutes of Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian, or other 5% and on religion basis muslims are about 97% (Shia 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other religions 3%. Saddam belonged to the minority sunni community. It is a fact that Iraq is badly divided along sectarian lines. The shia sunni divide among the muslim population is a great impediment in restoring peace in the war torn region of Iraq. Even among shia sunni there are sub-sects that culminate in further tensions in a time of poverty for Iraqi people. Due the extended war years, more than 40% of the Iraqi middle class has fled the country and is living as refugee in the UN camps or the neighbouring countries of Turkey etc. Middle class of any country is the most productive class but when it is dismembered then it takes time to build upon the confidence of the people. The total economy is in shambles and there is no local entrepreneur worth the name to bring the people out of the rot. There is a huge discontentment among the local unemployed youth against the western intervention in the affairs of Iraq and this fact has been thoroughly manipulated by the politicians. After the execution of Saddam though for the time being Bathe party and it’s cadre had been relegated to the fringes but they also are trying to cash on the current hopeless situation of Iraq. Instigating people against the current political dispensation and the intervention of the western armed forces. Religious zealots are acting in full swing cohorting there followers to up the ante against the western influence, so that even if UN comes up with some good idea for the people of Iraq it faces resistance from within on religious and ethnic grounds. Unemployment illiteracy is equally an problem of very big proportion among the young of Iraq. Unemployment is giving rise to frustration and loots n robberies are a regular feature. With lack of education and proper employment avenues and the strict sanctions during the Saddam regime has led to an overall effect of discontentment among the local population of Iraq and this in turn has given rise to the various impediments in the route to restore peace in Iraq. All these problems can be overcome by first taking the local population in to confidence and that can only be done by giving a boost to genuine democracy in the country instead of installing a puppet regime that has been the order of the day. The security aspect should be taken care of properly by giving more important role to the local police and the army as the kind of demography they could understand an outside soldier can never get to know that. All the educated middle class and the entrepreneurs that have left Iraq and were averse living under the shadow of the gun should be encouraged to comeback and an atmosphere of trust should be built. Last but not the least a broad time table should be drawn by the UN and the allied forces to withdraw from Iraq and that should be properly published so that people get to know about that and should never remain under this impression that it is an attempt by the western nations to colonize Iraq. References 1. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/iz.html 2. Reclaiming a Plundered Past: Archaeology and Nation Building in Modern Iraq, Magnus T. Bernhardsson, University of Texas Press,2005. 3. A History of the Arab Peoples, Second Edition, Albert Hourani, Malise Ruthven, Harvard University Press,2003. 4. The Frontline Magazine, January 2007 edition. 5. Preventing Violent Conflicts: A Strategy for Preventive Diplomacy, Michael Lund, United States Institute of Peace Press, 1996. TOPIC 2 :What problems do Muslim women face in modern, multi-cultural societies, and how do they differ from the problems which Muslim men face in modern, multi-cultural societies? “Islam means the submission of humankind to the will of God, not the submission of women to the will of men”(Prophet Mohammad) "Treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers."(Prophet Mohammad) "None but a noble man treats women in an honorable manner. And none but an ignoble treats women disgracefully"(Prophet Mohammad) In Islam a women has an independent identity and has clear laws laid down for her in fact Islam doesn’t differ between women and men. If we refer to old scriptures then we will find that Prophet Mohammad encouraged the congregation of men and women together and use to address them together on variety of topics that ranged from religious discourses to conjugal relations.(Hassan al Turabi) Later, some muslim rulers due to local political compulsions devised new rules for women and made them more conservative. Times have changed but still in some muslim dominated countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt etc women are still considered as a door mat and their basic human rights are denied to them. For Muslim women in multi cultural and modern societies it is an equally tough struggle against the nepotism of men folk in the face of western influence. They are expected to be traditional as well as modern. Though the traditional customs and practices of the Muslim society have adapted a lot in the face of challenges posed by alien cultures and unconventional patterns of life, the most shocking representation by the external influence is depicted in their ideology. It has quite literally swept the whole Muslim population settled in western countries. This attitude can be particularly seen in the treatment of women as the western attitude towards their women is quite liberal. So in broader terms it can be said that the attitude of their fellow community has liberalized to quite an extent but still at the same time a lot of traditional values are also expected from them that can at best be regarded as impractical in today’s times. For example some working Muslim women in a multicultural society are expected by their families to pray to god five times a day and keep all the rojas. Though not bad in intention but for those working women it becomes a Herculean task to keep an semblance of balance between the conflicting interests. It is true that Muslim women in these liberalized societies are now days not mal treated generally compared to the old days but mentally the old traditions ekes out a lot from them. The revolt of the new European society against religion and convention was universal and it also bear a strong influence on the women folk but it is very hard for them to completely break off the shell. The traditional forms of social life relating to sex relations with a single partner and conduct broke down towards promiscuity, permissiveness and sexual indulgence. These factors too create a lot of pressure on the muslim women in these societies torn for identity between the modern and the traditional. In fact, it can be said that muslim women today in modern multi cultural societies are more in search of their identity as the western values have swept them but at the same time they have to stick to the age old traditions that is expected from them. Quite contrary to muslim women this kind of expectations are not kept from the Muslim men in these modern and multi cultural societies. Muslim men in these societies are free birds and are not expected to be promiscuous, though quite a lot of them go wayward with everything around them. Muslim women unlike men are expected to start a family with their husbands and bring up the children in a homely way after a stage. If they try to tread the path of complete freedom like their western counterparts or muslim men then biases creep in against them. Though economic and social development among muslims specially in modern and multi cultural societies have helped them to step on the ladder of prosperity and have an modern outlook but as far as women are concerned in comparison to men there are still some double standards for them creeping out of the deep rooted centuries old traditions. References ‘Women in Islam: The Western Experience’ by Anne Sofie Roald, 2001 ‘Women in Islam’ by Mazheruddin Siddiqi, 1952 ‘Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate’ by Leila Ahmed,1952 ‘The Rights of Women in Islam: the need for reform’ by Asgharali Engineer,1992 Read More