Indifference to Democracy

RE: Viewing the Iraqi Elections Across the Middle East

By: Nadia Taha

To the Editor

This week, I read this article by Nadia Taha and also watched the video, Iraq Elections, Voting for the Future, by Stephen Farrell and Anthony Shadid, regarding the recent elections in Iraq. I think the most interesting part of the article was not that the people of Iraq are willingly partaking in democracy, but that there is a general air of apathy about the new governmental system being instituted in the country. "Were Arab leaders and voters disappointed, angered, or inspired by what appears to have been a successful vote in Iraq? The answer appears to be none of the above," says Nadia Taha. It seems that the topic of debate surrounding the election is not that there is a new system of government, but how other countries will react, namely the United States. Americans appear to be so set on the fact that democracy is the best form of government because it allows everyone a voice, but if no one cares about that, how will that change the face of democracy? I am interested to see how this new democracy will work in Iraq. I have a feeling it will change drastically over a small amount of time with the lack of relative involvement to the involvement of our American democracy.