Kucinich Calls for Free, Direct Elections in Iraq

[goodhue]

Kucinich Calls for Free, Direct Elections in Iraq

January 19, 2004

Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich today called for the holding of free and direct elections in Iraq, which he said can only be successfully facilitated by the United Nations following the replacement of US troops with UN peacekeepers.

"There was a peaceful protest march 10-miles long in Baghdad today," said Kucinich. "How could we better honor the holiday of Martin Luther King Jr. than to respect the demand for democracy made by a 10-mile long gathering of some 100,000 peaceful people? This was a march that included Sunnis and Shiites. This was a march of poor people who want jobs and democracy, and who are demanding free and direct elections. Establishing a democracy in Iraq will not be simple or easy, but it can be done if the US occupation ends.

http://kucinich.us/statements.htm#IraqElections

[lastknowngood]

1. how about calling for free and fair elections in the US

n/t

[Maurkov]

2. That is a horrible idea.

Without a constitution in place (one with guarantees of minority rights) this would fail spectacularly.

[RetroLounge]

3. and then asks the candidate in Iraq

to sell out to Edwards...

[AnAmerican]

6. Still miffed at the Dean implosion I see

n/t

[Doomsayer13]

4. what a horrible idea

Iraq is in an unstable condition right now, and is more than ever prone to dictatorship. With no constitution, no direct input into what could be a constitution, and a hardly working police force, direct elections now would be a total disaster.

[MrSoundAndVision]

5. Wrong

It is a fundamental right for a people to be self governing: this is the foundation of our own country by the way, in case you forgot. It would be unwise certainly to require that certain rules be in place before the people are given their voice, after all, the people are the surest guardians of liberty. The Iraqi's must be allowed to choose their leaders now, as they seek and require the function of a leader. It is their right. Let me say it again: IT'S A RIGHT! Remember? Rights?

Here's a preamble to a constitution for Iraq, written just for you, by me:

Iraq: Here's your democracy, elect your leaders. Tell them to write a better constitution immediately.

[e-mail]

[Doomsayer13]

7. they have no security

If we were to cut them loose now, it might enable another tyrant like Saddam to take the reigns of power. I think Americans take it for granted that freedom and democracy comes so naturally to people. Developing democracies like Russia have a hard enough time maintaining a competitive free democracy and the Soviet Union fell nearly two decades ago. I think it's a tad fantastic to expect the Iraqi's to just be able to stand self sufficient a few scant months after their country was invaded and destroyed.

No doubt democracy can exist eventually, but we must find a way to stabalize the country first, install a legitimate and strong police force to maintain order, and find some way for harmony between the Sunni's and Shiites. Kucinich's plan is irresponsible and, frankly, a fantastic dream that would never work in the real world of political systems.

[LWolf]

14. lol

you said it.

No need for me to go on.

:hi:

[LWolf]

8. Hey, Maurkov & Doomsayer 13:

I guess you missed this part:

which he said can only be successfully facilitated by the United Nations following the replacement of US troops with UN peacekeepers.

and this, offering more details about that successful facilitation:

"It is time for the United States to involve the United Nations in a new plan which involves the United Nations assisting the Iraqi people in developing a new constitution and the United Nations helping to enable Iraqis to hold free and direct elections. This is part of the following plan, which the United States must take to the United Nations and request that it be incorporated into a new Security Council Resolution:


1. The United States must ask the United Nations to manage the oil assets of Iraq until the Iraqi people are self-governing.
2. The United Nations must handle all the contracts: No more Halliburton sweetheart deals, No contracts to Bush Administration insiders, No contracts to campaign contributors. All contracts must be awarded under transparent conditions.
3. The United States must renounce any plans to privatize Iraq. It is illegal under both the Geneva and the Hague Conventions for any nation to invade another nation, seize its assets, and sell those assets. The Iraqi people, and the Iraqi people alone must have the right to determine the future of their country's resources.
4. The United States must ask the United Nations to handle the transition to Iraqi self-governance. The UN must be asked to help the Iraqi people develop a Constitution. The UN must assist in developing free and fair elections.
5. The United States must agree to pay for what we blew up.
6. The United States must pay reparations to the families of innocent Iraqi civilian noncombatants killed and injured in the conflict.
7. The United States must contribute financially to the UN peacekeeping mission.
8. The United Nations, through its member nations, will commit 130,000 peacekeepers to Iraq on a temporary basis until the Iraqi people can maintain their own security.
9. UN troops will rotate into Iraq, and all US troops will come home.
10. The United States will abandon policies of 'preemption' and unilateralism and commit to strengthening the UN."

[Maurkov]

9. Actually, I did read that part

So, should they vote for the neo-Baathists or the hard-line pro-Sharia clerics?

[goodhue]

10. in a democracy

folks get to vote for whomever they like!
But I suspect the pro-sharia folks will get more votes than neo-Baathists. Also, please don't count out the communist party as they are strong in Iraq.

Look, there are 100,000s of protesters in the streets of Bagdad. Whatever puppet government the US manages to install through "caucuses" would not survive popular unrest.

[Maurkov]

16. We have a responsibility

Having removed Iraq's government, we can't decree, "You are now a democracy!" and stand back. It would be the equivalent of telling the sheep and the wolves to work it out amongst themselves.

Iraq has an ethnically and religiously diverse population and lacks a democratic tradition. Without a pre-existing structure and ongoing support, their fledgling democracy will collapse. Even if, miraculously, the rule of law endures, direct democracy will quickly lead to a tyranny of the majority.

We have a responsibility to restore civilian infrastructure. That includes the easy stuff like water treatment plants and oil pipelines as well as the hard stuff, like a functioning government that protects minority rights.

If the majority of Iraqis choose to roll out the burkas or exterminate the Kurds, are you suggesting that it's none of our business?

[goodhue]

17. no one is saying we are not responsible

We are responsible for the destruction we caused. We must pay to rebuild infrastructure destroyed and most importantly pay reparations for the 1000s innocent people we killed. But our continued military presence is not consistent with building a stable and secure Iraq. We need to hand the keys over to the UN in order to give credibility to the emerging democracy. Otherwise, we are setting Iraq up to fail.

I continue to get the sense you have not actually read the Kucinich 10-point plan. Points number 5-7 directly address the concern you raise here.

http://www.kucinich.us/bringourtroopshome.php

[LWolf]

13. They should vote for whoever they think

will best serve their people.

That would be the point.

[Doomsayer13]

11. who says the UN is even equipped to handle this?

The UN has previously been used as a "clean-up" force, to keep things in check once most of the transition work has already been done. To expect the UN to go in there and completely take over for the US is overestimating the willingness and ability of other countries to lend their boys and girls to an unstable region, and it as well underestimates the weight of the American military in UN peacekeeping forces. "UN in US out" is an over simplification of the problem, by far. In addition, the goal of a representative democracy is a stable exchange of ideals, if we let some far right/left party take over and potentially destroy democracy, we'll have it as a futher blemish on our records forever, and potentially have another Iran. We need to take our time in Iraq.

[goodhue]

12. UN Peacekeeping

http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/home.shtml

THE MISSION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS

In accordance with the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) is dedicated to assisting the Member States and the Secretary-General in their efforts to maintain international peace and security. The Department's mission is to plan, prepare, manage and direct UN peacekeeping operations, so that they can effectively fulfil their mandates under the overall authority of the Security Council and General Assembly, and under the command vested in the Secretary-General.

DPKO provides political and executive direction to UN peacekeeping operations, and maintains contact with the Security Council, troop and financial contributors, and parties to the conflict in the implementation of Security Council mandates. DPKO strives to provide the best possible and most cost-efficient administrative and logistical support to missions in the field through the timely deployment of quality equipment and services, adequate financial resources and well-trained personnel. The Department works to integrate the efforts of UN, governmental and non-governmental entities in the context of peacekeeping operations. DPKO also provides guidance and support on military, police, mine action, and logistical and administrative issues to other UN political and peacebuilding missions.

Each peacekeeping operation has a specific set of mandated tasks, but all share certain common aims - to alleviate human suffering, and create conditions and build institutions for self-sustaining peace. The substantial presence of a peacekeeping operation on the ground contributes to this aim by introducing the UN as a third party with a direct impact on the political process. In exercise of its tasks, DPKO aims to minimize the many risks to which peacekeepers may be exposed in the field.

Peacekeeping operations may consist of several components, including a military component, which may or may not be armed, and various civilian components encompassing a broad range of disciplines. Depending on their mandate, peacekeeping missions may be required to:

Deploy to prevent the outbreak of conflict or the spill-over of conflict across borders;

Stabilize conflict situations after a cease fire, to create an environment for the parties to reach a lasting peace agreement;

Assist in implementing comprehensive peace agreements;

Lead states or territories through a transition to stable government, based on democratic principles, good governance and economic development.

[dpbrown]

15. Calling for the right answer yet again

End the illegal Halliburton contracts.

End the occupation.

End the privatization of Iraq.

UN in, US out.

Fear Ends
Hope Begins
Kucinich 2004

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[Soulman]

18. WHAT?

So you would have the Shiite Muslim priests consume the country as we left to only make it a more horrible place for terrorism to breed? would they not then hunt down the Baathist party just as cruelly as the Baathists hunted down them? What would that accomplish?

And in a country of over 23 million...thousands marching is a very small percentage. I say let our government stick it out...which ever one it is that has to make the descion in the months to come.

We were successful in Taiwan, Japan, Germany, Turkey, and South Korea with the process of rebuilding a country. It would be a grave mistake for the security of the world if we turned and run now.

[goodhue]

19. Kucinich: What Troops?

Kucinich: What Troops?

For Immediate Release: Jan. 23, 2004

Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich today replied to
Gen Wesley Clark and Sen. John Kerry's proposals to send more troops
to Iraq with a question: "What troops?"

"Some of my fellow candidates have suggested that we need more
troops in Iraq before we can have fewer," said Kucinich. "But what
troops do they have in mind? Our forces are stretched thin.
Soldiers are being denied the right to return home upon completion
of their terms of service. Where will the additional troops come
from? Another bomb went off yesterday that the AP called 'an
apparent attack on supporters of the U.S.-backed government.' We
will never have enough troops to defend a U.S.-backed government
against all the Iraqis who oppose any U.S.-backed government. The
sooner we learn that the better - the better for all of our sons and
daughters. It is worth remembering that Gen. Clark, Sen. Kerry, and
Gov. Dean have all advocated requiring 18-year-old women to register
for the draft along with 18-year-old men."

For more information: http://kucinich.us

For Congressman Kucinich's Schedule: http://kucinich.us/schedule.htm