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Iraq Since the Gulf War: Prospects for Democracy
Fran Hazelton, ed., The Committee Against Repression and For Democratic Rights in Iraq (CADRI) (London: Zed Press, 1994) 260 pp. $19.95
Iraq Since the Gulf War: Prospects for Democracy is an interesting collection of essays written by expatriate and dissident Iraqis, both Arab and Kurdish, now living in Europe and the United States. A variety of topics are covered, from the role of ideology to women's rights as well as differing concepts of federalism as a political alternative. The book also includes a useful chronology of events from the 1990 invasion of Kuwait through May 1994, when the book was published. Taken as a whole, the book presents a unique picture of Iraq, one that contradicts the common notion that citizens get the government they deserve. According to the contributing authors, the state of Iraq and the Iraqi people are not to blame for the havoc wreaked on the international community in the Persian Gulf War--the blame lies with Saddam Hussein and the ruling Ba'ath Party. Additionally, the book contains a translation of Charter 91, the statement of political principles issued in 1991 by dissident Iraqi intellectuals, which would form the basis of a democratic Iraq.
The best article in the collection is written by Rend Rahim Francke, who examines and analyzes the Iraqi political opposition. Francke abstains from the usual polemical discourse and presents a balanced and realistic perspective on the heterogenous opposition. Furthermore, Francke...