Last week, Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi made a trip to Washington and addressed a joint session of Congress. This trip was designed to help develop some credibility for the new leader and his struggling country. Allawi must be very careful with what he says on such trips so that the Iraqi people and the rest of the world don’t think he is a leader of another U.S. puppet government.

In his speech to Congress, he said something very interesting, considering that the United States is occupying Iraq. “For the skeptics who do not understand the Iraqi people, they do not realize the depth of Iraqi … desire for freedom.”

Apparently our leaders in Washington don’t realize the depth of this desire. As we continue to occupy Iraq, our brothers and sisters in the armed forces keep coming home in body bags. Iowa has lost 14 soldiers in Iraq, and Minnesota has lost 10. Maybe we could ask the American soldiers in Iraq how deep the Iraqi people’s desire for freedom is.

I’m sure that each U.S. soldier can tell us how much the Iraqi people want that freedom that Allawi described. Iraq is clearly in shambles —- there is insufficient safety and security for the citizens; oil production is inconsistent; and the upcoming elections may take place with limited participation. Fifteen to 18 of the provinces in Iraq are said to be peaceful enough to hold elections, but this is only about 80 percent of the total Iraqi population.

The United States’ effort to bring democracy to Iraq is a noble quest; however, the process we are trying to use is flawed —- forcing democracy on another country. The man who helped to bring freedom to India, Mohandas Gandhi, believed in bottom-up democracy. “The spirit of democracy cannot be imposed from without. It has to come from within,” he said.

Considering this, can we honestly believe that Iraq will develop a healthy democracy? Even if we can believe that the prime minister has respect from his fellow countrymen and women, if only 80 percent of the people can vote, is this the foundation of a democracy?

As we know, voting is one element of democracy, but only one. Our own voter initiative on campus is not only about voting. The campaign is called “Cultivating Democracy,” which helps citizens work toward a democracy that includes not only voting, but also a plethora of other activities. All these activities help to ensure a healthy democracy.

Iraq is obviously a struggling country trying to shake off both the U.S. occupation and the attacks of extremists who seem to be intent on creating chaos.

According to Wikipedia.org, Allawi was the director of the CIA-funded Iraqi National Accord and holds British citizenship. Allawi and the Iraqi National Accord carried out attacks on innocent Iraqi civilians during Saddam’s rule in which a cinema and school bus were bombed.

In his speech, Allawi thanked America for helping Iraq topple Saddam Hussein. I think everyone in the world with a sense of justice and human rights is thankful for Saddam Hussein being brought to justice.

However, Allawi’s democratic credentials are suspect in light of his activities during Saddam’s rule. I must hold some reservations about appointing Allawi as the interim prime minister of Iraq because of his history of terrorist activities and his ruthless bombing campaign in Iraq from 1992 to 1995. Of course, Allawi would be thanking us for toppling Saddam, since he was working with the Iraq National Accord attempting to stage a violent overthrow of the regime, which he was finally able to do with the help of the United States.

Iraq has an opportunity for a much brighter future. Though the United States toppled Saddam, undoubtedly an enemy of democracy, the heavy-handed occupation since and the appointment of Allawi, a man with an undemocratic past, do not seem to be steps in the direction of a stable democracy.

Perhaps the upcoming elections in Iraq do provide some hope for a better future.

The Iraqi people certainly deserve better than Saddam, a U.S. occupation or the rule of Allawi.