Christopher Hitchens on Iraq
November 19th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
The only reason I post the words of former Leftist turned neoconservative Christopher Hitchens is because some people still take him seriously. On November 18 Hitchens had the following to say about Iraq. He really shines in the last paragraph. (Thanks Ann)
Our Iraqi friends have written a federal constitution, inscribing rights for national and religious and ethnic minorities, where differences are to be settled by parliamentary election – of which there have been two, both in the teeth of appalling odds and intimidation, both of them so far with very disappointing outcomes.
There’s a Supreme Court, there’s a free press – or the simulacrum of one, the idea of one and quite a lot of the practice of it. Almost every Iraqi now has a cell phone. They were illegal until quite recently.
Huge number of Iraqis can connect to the internet. They have a convertible currency. They have diplomatic relations with other countries now, which were impossible under the UN rules of the old regime. Iraq was sanctioned almost out of its sovereignty because of the crimes it had committed and not uncommitted.
It’s still a maimed and traumatised country coming out of three and half decades of war and fascism and the political class is made up of pygmies.
Saddam Hussein made a sweep of the intellectuals or any possible rival.
But it has a pulse now. I can’t say that I know that the Iraqis will take advantage of all the wonderful enactments they’ve made but I still think it’s an inspiring thing to see – to have seen – and for the very small part I can claim to have played in advocating it, I would say I was proud.
