Almost a year ago, American-led coalition forces began the invasion of Iraq by unleashing missile strikes on Baghdad. The war and its aftermath have provoked intense, even angry, debate in this country.
What happened Monday, though, should prompt only universal admiration. All 25 members of the Iraqi Governing Council signed Iraq’s interim constitution, a document that council member and elder statesman Adnan Pachachi called “unprecedented in this part of the world.”
It was a hard climb to this moment. The signing ceremonies were delayed just last Friday when Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani objected that the constitution handed veto power over the yet-to-be-written final constitution to the Kurdish and Sunni minorities. But al-Sistani, the most influential leader of the majority Shiites, backed down and allowed the Shiite representatives on the Governing Council to sign.
And so, a diverse group of Iraqi leaders has agreed to a guarantee of equality between men and women. These leaders have agreed to ensure women a place in national politics, setting a goal of 25 percent of all seats in the national assembly. They have guaranteed self-rule by the Kurds, long persecuted by the regime of Saddam Hussein. They have enshrined freedom of speech, of assembly, of religion, of the right to form unions and organize political parties, of the right to a fair trial, education and health care.
They have agreed that Iraq must “remain a free people governed under the rule of law.”
Some argue that the new constitution is mainly symbolic. It is an interim document and the permanent constitution must still be written by elected officials. But that is to miss the power of this moment. Scarcely a year after the fighting began, Iraq, once one of the most repressed societies in the world, now has one of the most democratic governing laws in this part of the world. That’s a momentous achievement.
Much was made of the political fighting in the final few days of negotiations. But remember this: These diverse people with competing interests came to the table. Every member signed the document. There were no holdouts, no prideful objectors. They signed the document in the same spirit as it was negotiated. Not because it was perfect–no constitution is–but because it was light years ahead of what they had under Saddam Hussein. It gives them the first light of recognition that Iraq can and will be a nation governed with the consent of its people.
The interim constitution does not answer all questions. It is silent on some thorny issues, including how to form a new government before the transfer of power. That may be left largely to the United Nations, which is drawing up plans for an alternative government that would last until direct elections can be held. Those elections must happen no later than January 2005, according to the new constitution.
There will be many political battles down the road as elected Iraqi officials face the difficult task of writing a final constitution that can hold together three diverse regions in a single country. But those leaders now have a tremendous advantage. They have this interim document to light the way.
The road ahead may be difficult, Secretary of State Colin Powell said, “but it won’t be as difficult as the road that was behind.”
Some fret that Iraq, freed of coalition rule, will soon turn its back on the freedoms expressed in that document. Iraqis, though, now know that they can find common ground on a charter for freedom and democracy. They’re beginning to enjoy those freedoms. They won’t be quick to surrender them.
