Iran Review

Mohammad Khajouei
Middle East Studies Expert 

Once more, Iraq has been the scene of dramatic blasts. The people still remembered the “Black Wednesday” in August when new blasts claimed more lives on Sunday, October 25.

At the morning rush hour, 10:30, two bombed cars went off near the Iraqi Justice Ministry and Baghdad Provincial Council, shaking the whole city.
The blasts killed and wounded more than 700 people to prove in post-Saddam Iraq that massacring innocent people is not simply done by dictators, but ignorance, bigotry, ambitions and personal interests can also make certain people to become meaner than dictators.

A man who was near the blasts site and was totally shocked by what he had witnessed, cried out, “Why do you do this to us?”

The answer to that question will become evident through a glance at what is going on behind the apparent political and security developments in Iraq.

The Iraqi people, who got rid of their dictator about six years ago, have been ever since deep in various problems: occupation by foreign troops, factional violence, extremism and terrorism. Although the Iraqi people have suffered a lot during these years, but the general trend of politics and security in that country has been positive and people look optimistically at the future outlooks of their country, though many big problems are still in place.

Gradual reduction of foreign powers’ intervention in Iraq’s internal affairs along with increasing power of the national government and improved security conditions in that country all indicate that the general condition in Iraq is gradually picking up.

A glimpse at the political scene in Iraq would show that tribal affiliations are giving way to national interest in setting the course of Iraqi politics. This is the main demand on the part of a people that is fed up with war, occupation, and sectarian violence.

Naturally, highlighting national interests will lead to more unity, which is not favorable for those who understand nothing but bigotry as well as personal and group interests. Therefore, they try to spread insecurity to make people lose hope in the future outlook of their country.

The second parliamentary election in Iraq, which has been scheduled for January, is of high importance and if held successfully, would herald better days for Iraq.

Terrorists are sure to make their most to disrupt the election. They have targeted national unity in Iraq because they cannot withstand the image of a stable and democratic Iraq.

The people of Iran, in the meantime, play a great role in preserving unity and protecting the Iraqi government which will be of substantial value to thwarting plots which are sure to be hatched in the run-up to parliamentary elections.

Although incidents like Sunday’s blasts will bring bitterness to the Iraqis, they know that to achieve peace, security and democracy, there is a price to be paid. Patience, unity, and national solidarity are the main factors which will help the Iraqi people to pass through the current dire straits. The fate of every nation is determined by them.