Powerless people
From Joseph Askew Sir: I am at a total loss to explain Mark Steyn's recent article on Iraq (Now it's up to the Iraqis', 3 July). In what possible sense is Iraq better off now than it was under the government that the British installed? It is true that the exiles the US has put in power are slightly more Iraqi than the Hashemites whom the British imposed, but on the other hand they lack the religious authority that came with being descended from Mohammed.
No rigged referendum? There has yet to be a free vote in Iraq and there probably will not be for decades to come. No exclusion of the majority of the population? Given that the Americans will not tolerate an Islamic government, it is likely that the majority of Iraqis will not be allowed to have their preferred form of government. In effect the entire population has been disfranchised.
Joseph Askew
Coromandel East, South Australia
Previous page
