Local Elections in Iraq [incl. Juan Cole]

Juan Cole, a University of Michigan professor and polemicist, sneers at Iraq’s local elections on his webpage, paraphrasing a Los Angeles Times article (far more neutral in tone), to conclude: “elections can only be held in Iraq via security arrangements that shut down traffic and interfere with ordinary life in other ways.” Evidence of failure? Not quite.

In late December, I was an international election observer in Bangladesh, a country of more than 150 million people. The Bangladeshis were holding hotly contested elections to return to parliamentary democracy a few years after the military stepped in amidst growing political violence in the country.

The Bangladeshis also banned vehicular traffic for safety and secuirty. Turn-out was about 80 percent and pretty much every organization found the elections, while not without room for improvement, to be free and fair. No one questioned the vehicular ban; indeed, many Bangladeshis and many outsiders applauded it.

Mr. Cole, it’s one thing to question and debate U.S. policy because of your own philosophical background; it’s quite another to pour vinegar on any success Iraq because of a bone to pick with U.S. politics or because Iraqis ignore you. Perhaps it’s time to give the Iraqis the respect they deserve.

Michael Rubin is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he specializes in Middle Eastern countries, particularly Iran and Turkey. His career includes time as a Pentagon official, with field experiences in Iran, Yemen, and Iraq, as well as engagements with the Taliban prior to 9/11. Mr. Rubin has also contributed to military education, teaching U.S. Navy and Marine units about regional conflicts and terrorism. His scholarly work includes several key publications, such as “Dancing with the Devil” and “Eternal Iran.” Rubin earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in history and a B.S. in biology from Yale University.
See more from this Author
The United States Also Might Encourage the UAE to Develop a Maritime Security Center to Protect Traffic Through the Strait of Hormuz
The U.S. Should Counter This Threat by Seizing Kharg Island, the Terminal Through Which 90 Percent of Iran’s Oil Is Exported
When Khamenei—or His Successors—Do the Inevitable and Surrender Their Nuclear Program, Then It Will Need to Be Extricated from Iran
See more on this Topic