Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The Irony in Iraq

The predictions were spot on: almost 80 percent of the 2.5 million people eligible to vote in the Kurdistan Region voted during this past weekend’s election (to be specific, 78.5 percent, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq, which also verified that everything at the polls was up to international standards). As a point of comparison, roughly 63 percent of Americans voted in the 2008 presidential election. Few nations have higher turn-outs. Only Australia and Malta , which have compulsory voting, exceed these figures, with about 95 percent.

What this tells me is that the Kurdistan Region continues to set an example for democracy and tolerance in the Middle East. The increasing openness and transparency of our system, combined with the government’s forward thinking (at least 30 percent of the seats in the Parliament must go to women), make us a model for others. Yet some people still view the Kurdistan Region as a flash point for Iraq’s internal issues. What irony!

Despite the stellar success of our open and fair elections, many in the media cannot seem to help but overlook the positive. There is a greater story to tell about this region – more than oil, Kirkuk and Saddam. There is freedom, a genuine effort to democratize, tolerance and peace that mimic established nations around the world. These elections were about Kurdistan, not Baghdad. The results will have no bearing on KRG-Baghdad relations. They will certainly not lead to increased tensions between Kurdistan and Baghdad, as TIME magazine recently reported.

In Kurdistan we have tried to play an active role in attaining peace and stability in Iraq. The efforts and achievements of Kurdistan are all in pursuit of a desire to lead within a federal and democratic country. We want Iraq’s federal constitution to be upheld by all parties because we want a foundation of law that fosters an honest political system, freedom and tolerance, for Kurdistan and Iraq. We’re promoting economic investment so that our Region, and subsequently Iraq prospers. Moreover, we’re encouraging Iraq to follow our lead in ensuring that it efficiently and effectively benefits from its vast natural resources. To me, these are all signs of a Region that wants to thrive, not one that seeks to divide.

I’m proud of how the elections went, and congratulate the slates and candidates who participated in our historic elections. Regardless of party or background, I know that we will all work together to continue the progress we’ve seen and to ensure that democracy flourishes in Kurdistan, and in turn Iraq.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Election Fever: the Kurdistan Region Votes

Voting has officially begun throughout the Kurdistan Region, and my finger is blue as proof! Although official campaigning ended on Thursday, the energy remains exhilarating—having come off of weeks of rallies and speeches and events.

As I’ve mentioned, there is expected to be a more than 80 percent voter turnout. This is a sign of the healthy, robust democracy that is taking shape here in this region of Iraq. Indeed, Faraj al-Haidari, the head of the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq has already registered some early participation ratios in the provinces:

• Erbil: 90%
• Sulaimania: 86%
• Dohok: 91%
• Ninawa: 65%
• Baghdad/ Karkh District: 54%
• Baghdad/ Risafa District: 67%
• Anbar: 59%

Polls will close at 6pm here, and the votes will then be collected from across the Region, shopped to Erbil and flown to Baghdad, where they will be officially counted. For continuing updates, be sure to check out Kurds Vote.

T’was the night before elections, and no-one was stirring, not even a mouse…

....or so I thought!

After just coming home from touring the many neighborhoods of Sulaimani, the streets are a-buzz with last minute preparations for our elections.

As everyone knows, this Saturday, July 25, we are having elections in the Kurdistan Region for the legislature in Parliament—representing another step in our journey toward democracy, and the Presidency of the Region. When the votes are counted, there will be a higher percentage of female legislators than in any other region in the world, outside of Rwanda and some of the Nordic nations.

The campaigns of the various slates and entities running in the elections have ranged from the sophisticated, to the most basic form of grassroots advocacy. The spirit has been high (sometimes a little too high), but all in all the process has been a joy to watch and be part of. Kurds, young and old, warrior and student, have taken to the streets to campaign for their candidates of choice. While there have been some disturbances, by and large the atmosphere has been festive, while at the same time, fiercely competitive.

Already hundred of international observers and reporters have arrived, and we’ve encouraged election monitors from all over the world to attend—including those from the International Federal of Election Systems and individuals from American University in the United States.

We in the Kurdistan Region look forward to what’s ahead—and expect a more than 80 percent turnout, an impressive amount for any democracy. Election fever has indeed gripped the Region. Be sure to keep an eye out for how the election unfolds.



Friday, July 17, 2009

The Growing Threat

Please read this article titled “Kurdish leaders warn of strains with Maliki” published in today’s Washington Post. The article highlights the growing sense of tension between Kurdistan and the certain elements within the federal government in Baghdad.

Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki’s growing sense of assertiveness coupled with the upcoming federal provincial elections penciled in for January 2010, will no doubt give opportunities for him and other folks in Baghdad to stir up Arab nationalism to their advantage.

Many believe that out of instability, Prime Minister Maliki can use the Arab nationalist card to unite Sunni’s and Shiites (against the Kurds) and assert greater dominance in the country. This is dangerous. Even in his most vile state, Saddam never stoked Arab nationalism against us. He called us traitors and used the Iraqi nationalism instead.

Saddam did use Arab nationalism to try to impose his dominance throughout the Arab world, using the Iranian and Palestinian cards to serve, with some success, his intended goal. While Prime Minster Maliki has no intentions on trying to dominate the Middle East, he does want to dominate Iraq, and raising Arab, and not Iraqi, nationalism appears to be his tactic.

Unlike Saddam however, Prime Minister Maliki dare not use the Iranian card, as he knows that the Iranians would hurt him. Nor could he sell the Palestinian issue to Iraqis, (or the Palestinians for that matter!); so the only card he has left to play with, to stoke Arab nationalist sentiments in order to assert dominance in Iraq is the Kurdish one. This is a dangerous game that I hope the US government will strongly discourage when Prime Minister Maliki visits the United States next week.


Thursday, July 16, 2009

“Foreign Policy” Discussion on Kurdistan Region

Enlivened by his current travels in Kurdistan, U.S. General Jay Garner (ret.) is back in the news again—this time participating a comprehensive question and answer session with Foreign Policy magazine. He offers up a full description of the many issues facing the Kurdistan Region, complete with his characteristic flair. I highly recommend the read, so be sure to check it out.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/07/15/seven_questions_jay_garner

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Women in Kurdish Society

Today I attended a conference on promoting the role of women in decision making in government and society.

The conference, arranged by the democratic organizations bureau of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), in the city of Sulaimani, was attended by key Kurdish and Iraqi politicians, including KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, and Deputy Secretary General of the PUK Barham Salih. Also in attendance was a lady who is very near and dear to me, the First Lady of Iraq, my very own mother: Hero Ibrahim Ahmed.

Speakers at the conference stressed the need to promote equality between men and women in the workforce and to eradicate violence against women in our society.

Prime Minister Barzani made an important statement when he stressed that we cannot address the issue of equality of women, and violence against women, by passing legislation alone. He affirmed that “the mentality must change.”

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih commented that that so-called honor killing (I call them so-called because there is nothing honorable about killing women) is “an ugly remnant of Kurdish society that requires the people, the government and the judiciary of Kurdistan to work together to eradicate this crime.”

It took a long time for an actual woman to speak at the conference (typical for such events in our part of the world), but it was nice to see more women than men in attendance (in particular sitting in the front rows of the conference hall!!).

It is worth noting that while atrocious crimes are being committed against women in our Region, the reason instances appear higher in Kurdistan than they do elsewhere in Iraq is because they are actually getting reported in Kurdistan. In other parts of iraq, and the middle East for that matter, many of these crimes remain unreported, and covered up. This is not just my view; it is the view of Steffan Di Mistura, the former Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Iraq and of many NGO’s and women’s rights organizations operating in the region.

This is no excuse for tolerating this despicable crime; rather it is an opportunity to call on our society to stamp out this crime. It is time to call on our government to continue fulfilling its promises to pursue perpetrators of these heinous crimes. It is a call for our village elders to defend the very women who during Kurdistan’s hardest times defended their villages with valor and honor. It is also a call for women’s groups to put their brightest and best forward and break the barriers that block their way.

Just looking at the many brave and competent Kurdish women I know, it is clear to me that there is no shortage of quality, rather a shortage of opportunity. That must change if we wish to call ourselves a democracy.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Another Step Forward

I highlight earlier a letter to the editor of The New York Times today regarding a recent article that was in err with regard to the development of the constitution of the Kurdistan Region. General Jay Garner, who I’ve mentioned before and who led Operation Provide Comfort, wrote his response today.

The gist of the letter is clear; however, I think it’s important to reiterate that the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has worked for decades to draft a regional constitution—one that is intended to serve as a model for tolerance, civil society and democracy in the Middle East. This document is sanctioned under the Federal Permanent Constitution of Iraq, will be passed by the Parliament of the Kurdistan Region.

Everyone involved has worked to maintain a transparent and open process. While we’ve been formally framing the constitution since 2006, the document itself is based upon an evolving draft that was first conceived in 1974!

In the process, we’ve consulted with all major constituencies in the Kurdistan Region, as well as international experts and democratic governments throughout the world. We’ve studied numerous existing constitutions—including those of Canada, Germany and several U.S. states. Moreover, as an addition step, we intend to print approximately 800,000 copies of the latest draft and distribute them to every household in the Region.

Now it appears that the referendum on the constitution will be delayed until later this year. This gives an opportunity for the authors of the constitution, and other members of Kurdistan’s parliament to follow up on the distribution of the constitution and go around the Region and hold town hall style meetings to discuss in greater detail the contents of the constitution with our public. It will be great to see a thorough public debate on another major milestone of Kurdistan’s.


General Garner's Letter to the Editor

Please read this letter to the editor from General Jay Garner. Its important that he reminds people that Kurdistan having its own constitution is mandated by the federal Iraqi constitution!

Furthermore, his message of needing to resolve the issue of Iraq's disputed internal boundaires before the US withdraws is very so very true.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Profesional Press Emerging in Kurdistan

I met today with Deputy Editor, Lawen Sagerma and several capable reporters, editors and photographers of SOMA Digest, an English-language newspaper based in Sulaimani in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. General John Abizaid and a delegation of former U.S. military leaders joined me. SOMA, along with other media outlets and organizations such as the Institute for War and Peace Reporting’s Kurdistan office, are forging a promising path for Kurdistan's emerging press, and were all impressed by the young and dedicated staff we met today.

In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, there are official party, government and independent news outlets, which have been developing since the uprisings of 1991, and more so since the liberation of Iraq in 2003.

Although we have progress to make, I know the KRG, is working to nurture the development of an independent and professional press in our rapidly emerging democracy. The recently passed press law for the Region provides the legal framework for a truly free, independent and professional press to emerge. Now we must ensure that the institutions of State uphold the rule of law, and journalists uphold high professional journalistic standards.

Check out this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w80ZAS9KMs, of Lawen talking about how her paper appeals to the growing English-speaking community in the Kurdistan Region and her outlook for the future.


Sunday, July 12, 2009

Kurdistan's Journey towards Transparency

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq has governed itself for 17 years—following the establishment of the No Fly Zones in 1992. Of those years, 11 were under various types of local, regional and international sanctions; for 4 years, the Region was embroiled in regrettable civil war; the 6 years following were marked by the governance of 2 relatively dysfunctional administrations—which eventually united into one large and overly-bureaucratic body. So what does this add up to? The answer is simple—the safest, most stable and increasingly prosperous part of Iraq!

Although these numbers don’t seem to make sense—particularly for a region marked by strife, conflict, setbacks and a recent national war—the evidence is all there for the world to see. And today, the KRG took a step to provide greater clarity for the global community and for the people of the Kurdistan Region, so that everyone can be confident in how far the Kurdistan Region has come, what its accomplished, and where it is headed.


Earlier this afternoon, KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani announced the government’s strategy for Good Governance and Transparency—a multi-year project developed with assistance from PricewaterhouseCoopers to introduce best governance practices and transparency and ultimately improving how our government serves its people. Compliant with the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, it represents a bold step, one that goes further than any regional government in the world, and even some large democracies.


We’ve made our region safe and secure. We’ve overcome our internal conflicts. We’ve established a system to provide improved services for our citizens. Now we’re moving to guarantee that all of this progress is maintained and built upon—because there is no doubt in our minds that there remains so much more for the Kurdistan Region to accomplish.


The KRG’s Good Governance and Transparency Strategy represents tangible evidence that we are not only aware of our shortcomings, but that we are actually doing something about them! While we work to address these shortcomings, we should not lose sight of how much progress has been made in a remarkably short, yet tumultuous period of itme. Today's step forward gives me hope that the next 17 years has even greater potential.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

The Fruits of Sacrifice: Progress in the Kurdistan Region


Today we proudly showed Generals Jay Garner, John Abizaid, and other distinguished, former American military leaders, the progress made in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Seventeen years ago, General Garner and then Colonel Abizaid were deployed to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to deal with an international humanitarian catastrophe.

Iraqi forces, under the leadership of Saddam Hussein, brutally suppressed the Kurdish uprising in 1991. Millions of Kurds were forced from their homes and into Kurdistan’s mountainous borders with Turkey and Iran. The vivid images displayed across news networks like CNN forced the international community (United States, UK and France) to act in order to prevent this calamity from spiraling beyond control.

Operation Provide Comfort, established by the UN Security Council Resolution 688, worked to bring the Kurds back down from the mountains and to restore order in Iraqi Kurdistan. Garner and Abizaid led this effort—restoring order and providing essential humanitarian services to the many displaced people. The Kurds were able to return to their homes and begin building the foundations of a fledgling democracy.

Today, the heroes of 1992 returned to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). They witnessed first-hand the remarkable progress—socially, politically and economically. Moreover, after talking with Kurdish leaders like President Barzani and Speaker of the Parliament Adnan Mufti, it was clear to everyone involved that none of the successes that Kurdistan sees today would have been possible without that most noble intervention.

To those heroes, and to the thousands of others who not only protected us during the 1990s—through the no-fly zones—but also led the effort to liberate Iraq from the worst kind of dictatorship, we once again say thank you.

While much progress has been made in KRI, we remain concerned about Iraq as a whole—as were starting to see dangerous trends emerging from certain elements in Baghdad. Such trends include reneging on previously agreed upon principles of power sharing, governing by consensus and adhering to a democratically-ratified constitution.

These trends, combined with a lack agreement on a national revenue sharing formula and proper checks and balance within the Iraqi security services, could easily reverse all that has been gained in Iraq during the past 12 months.

It is therefore imperative that the U.S. remain committed to supporting and building upon the great achievements of the Kurdistan Region, and remain strategically engaged at the federal level to ensure that the many outstanding issues get resolved before a complete U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq.

We are hopeful that visits to the Kurdistan Region, such as we saw today by decorated American heroes, will demonstrate what can be done in Iraq when people of shared values and principles work together to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. Our American friends today saw the fruits of America’s sacrifice in Kurdistan, and they—like us—were very proud.