ParaPundit (Randall Parker) links to a piece on Basra in the Christian Science Monitor. He comments:
“Democracy in Iraq leads to the winners handing out contracts to their allies while the defeated factions take up arms to fight against a corrupt spoils system that doesn’t give them a cut of the action.”
Then he quoteds from the CSM:
“This official also alleges that a lot of the city’s government contracts are being steered to tribes that backed Waili for the governorship, and that other tribes that haven’t been getting the business have been taking up arms.”
…and comments: “American soldiers died to make this possible.”
After more in the same vein, Randall concludes:
“I say we leave and let the Iraqis fight it out among themselves. The neocons need to reconceptualize. What we are seeing is street democracy. Hurray! We’ve established a teeming and vibrant democracy in the Middle East.”
He has a point. David Pryce-Jones taught us all this 20 years ago. “Money-favoring,” “power-challenging,”… As things go in the Middle East, what we’re seeing on the streets of Basra ***is*** democracy. Mission accomplished.