Will Iraq REALLY be "the only constitutional democracy in the Arab world"?

[Brotherjohn]

Bush said this today in his speech. (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1151AP_Bush_Text_2nd_Take.html)

Can someone fact check this, please? I KNOW several other Arab countries hold elections. As far as whether or not they fit the definition of a "constitutional democracy", I don't know.

[Clark2008]

1. Iraq won't be, either.

It's hard to hold free elections when the constituancy is scared of getting bombed, where another third are boycotting votes and where all the candidates have to be approved by another country (the USA).

[shraby]

6. You forgot to add that women don't

have many rights and all laws have to conform to Sharia (sp?) law.

[Clark2008]

11. Yep - reason No. 4 why it's not in any way, shape or form

a "democracy."

But, sadly, neither is the US anymore. We can thank Diebold for that.

[endarkenment]

12. 'constitutional democracy' does not imply any of those things.

For example the USA was a constitutional democracy for 70 years or so with a large part of its population legally enslaved, and for about 100 years after that with that same population denied equal rights legally under various segregation laws. We automatically read more into the phrase 'constitutional democracy' than is actually there, which is why this is being used as a point scoring technique by the bush cabal: it is intended to deceive.

[unblock]

2. i guess turkey doesn't count because it's part of europe?

but it is arab, isn't it?

:shrug:

[mainegreen]

3. Nope. Turks aren't arabs. nt

[endarkenment]

9. Large parts of Iraq's population aren't arabs either.

[Nimrod2005]

4. NO - Lebanon is and has been for many years...So is Israel.

[JaneQPublic]

5. Bahrain is a Constitutional Monarchy, just like the United Kingdom

Has had a Constitution since 2002. Suffrage at age 18.

[JaneQPublic]

7. Iran is a Theocratic Republic

Signed its constitution in 1979. Revised it in 1989

Universal suffrage is at age 15.

[JaneQPublic]

10. Yemen is a Republic

Its constitution was signed in 1991.

Universal suffrage is at age 18.

elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a seven-year term (recently extended from a five-year term by constitutional amendment); election last held 23 September 1999 (next to be held NA 2006); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent of vote - Ali Abdallah SALIH 96.3%, Najib Qahtan AL-SHAABI 3.7%

http://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ym.html#Govt

[JaneQPublic]

13. Oh, and Afghanistan??? (nt)

[NoPasaran]

14. But Iran, while Muslim, is not part of the Arab world

[JaneQPublic]

15. True, they are Persian, not Arab. So replace Iran with Mauritania

It's a Republic, and 100 percent Muslim. Arabic is the main language.

Universal suffrage is at age 18.

elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 7 November 2003 (next to be held 2009).

election results: President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA reelected for a third term with 60.8% of the vote.

http://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/mr.html#Govt

[endarkenment]

8. Egypt is also probably technically a constitutional democracy.

Iran is a constitutional democracy, and a theocracy, however it is persian not arab.

Only portions of Iraq's population are 'arab'.

But so what? East Germany was a 'constitutional democracy'. The Soviet Union was a 'constitutional democracy'.

Iraq is an occupied nation with a government forced on them by the occupiers. When the occupiers get tired and leave, then we will see if a) there is anything left to call Iraq; and b) if what is left that can be called Iraq even nominalyl qualifies as a constitutional democracy.

[Brotherjohn]

16. WOW! Democracy is flourishing in the Mid-East! I guess they all only ...

... started voting since we invaded Iraq? :sarcasm:

[endarkenment]

17. When you start to poke at their bullshit....

don't get suprised when the whole room starts to stink :-)