"THE ARAB CONDITION"

One Arab speaks clearly.

Until now, Arabs have adhered to behavior based on domination and use of the power game. Each Arab country is ruled either by a tribe, family or sect, or by a group of families from a certain area. Maintaining such domination requires employing power and sometimes violence, as well as much corruption, since maintaining power demands a distribution of the spoils. Such methods weaken the state and its institutions.

This model can succeed in the short term, but fails in the long term because it is based on an old form of fanaticism and on sowing division among others and sometimes destroying them. To change the ruling methods in the Arab world, what is needed is a national model that goes beyond fanaticism and is based on sound relations between all the components of a country.

A second matter involves rights. No country must be without rights for everyone and there can be no overcoming family domination, tribalism and sectarianism without asserting the equality of all people under the law. The reality in the Arab world is different: Members of the opposition do not enjoy rights simply because they are opponents; a sect which does not rule is often deprived of its rights, while the ruler or those related or close to him are above the law.

Rights in the Arab world are given to those with whom those in power agree or to those who are part of a given sect, a tribe or family.

Yet throughout the world, rights have been developed mainly to protect the weak and those who disagree with decision-makers or the majority. Laws must be developed in Iraq, especially since the country is in the process of writing a constitution and reorganizing civil relations.

A third issue in Iraq is the future of elections. Arab countries have generally organized their affairs without elections, except when arranging polls that are a masquerade of democracy, and where candidates receive 99 percent of votes.

Holding democratic elections in Iraq in accordance with modern laws for both political parties and the media will be very important in determining Iraq’s future. But the most important thing is presenting a new model for elections in the Arab world, different from the traditional model that lacks freedom.