Was it meant to be like this? One year after the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s regime this is the question that readily springs to mind. Our screens are filled with images of bloodshed and chaos, and now pictures of Iraqi prisoners abused by their captors.
I have just returned from Iraq and for Iraqis security is still a major problem as they try to rebuild their country.
I have been to Iraq five times in the last year and while I have been able to see the advances being made, it is sometimes forgotten that the physical and social infrastructure of Iraq had already been destroyed by a quarter of a century of conflict.
The economy was ossified through a combination of mismanagement and blatant corruption. Education and health services had had no meaningful investment for decades. The government ministries boasted large workforces that were mostly unproductive; Saddam’s police state had brought on a form of institutional paralysis where the workforce was fearful of questioning any aspect of their working lives.
Those Iraqis with money or contacts left the country for exile, depriving the country of its most skilled workers.
Parts of the country that were viewed as unfriendly by the regime were starved of all public funds. The unique ecosystem of the Marshes was slowly destroyed, the agriculture sector that it supported withered away. In the south of Iraq the coalition found water and power supplies that were completely inadequate for a modern country.
On top of this impoverishment of the country was the oppression of its people. In Kirkuk and al-Hilla I saw the mass graves of victims of the regime. The Free Prisoners’ Association, an Iraqi NGO, has been trying to provide information to the relatives of those who disappeared during the reign of Saddam. On the walls outside their office relatives have plastered pictures of men and women with details of when they were last seen in the hope that they can be found.
The FPA continues to work through the documents they found at the end of the conflict. So far, they have recorded 107,000 executions carried out in Saddam’s prisons.
Saddam’s legacy is an impoverished nation and a people brutalised. Given this, the path toward a peaceful, prosperous and democratic Iraq was always going to be difficult.
The frustrations of the Iraqi people are simple to understand. Unemployment is high.
Crime and fear of crime is pervasive. Not enough was done early on to secure weapons stores and as a result of this those opposed to the coalition have a ready supply of weaponry. The high levels of unemployment create an army of recruits willing to fire an RPG at a US soldier in return for dollars.
Long before the pictures of abuse of Iraqis were published I had been concerned about the problems arising from the detention of Iraqis by coalition forces. It has proved almost impossible for relatives to find out about family members they believe are being held in detention. This lack of transparency, particularly in Iraq with its history of repression, has fuelled resentment.
The subsequent publication of those appalling images shocked everyone and will only add to the anger felt by those Iraqis who have been wrongfully imprisoned. It is vital that the coalition act quickly to clean up their policy on detainees and bring action against those who have abused Iraqi prisoners.
More broadly, what should the response be to the current situation? What Iraq needs now is constructive engagement from the international community. The greater role of the United Nations is a positive sign. There needs to be a long-term commitment to the country. Projects to rebuild the infrastructure both in the economy and government will take many years and the Iraqi people need to know they have continued support.
In the short term, ongoing help will be required with the maintenance of security within the country. The response to the recent surge in violence must emphasise political solutions and not be just a simple deployment of military power.
Practical work must be done to make the borders of Iraq less porous. Coupled with this has to be the political work to isolate those who use violent means to oppose the development of a new Iraq.
Economic regeneration should be a priority. Emphasis should be placed on tackling the high levels of unemployment.
The legal system needs to be rebuilt with the rule of law as the guiding principle underpinned by a respect for human rights. An early test awaits the new legal systems of Iraq. The trials of members of former regime will have a huge impact both inside Iraq and within the Middle East. It is vital that these trials are seen to be open and honest. The international community should take every opportunity to make sure that this is achieved.
Underlying all of this should be a commitment to supporting the timetable for democracy in Iraq. Iraq will need technical help and support if it is to carry out free and fair elections in the time it has specified.
All of this will not be easy. As Iraq moves toward democracy those unlikely to succeed at the ballot box may resort to violence to derail the process. There will be difficult days and months. But even now, after a surge in violence, the vast majority remain peaceful and hopeful for a better future.
I am confident they will achieve this. Kurdistan shows that a better society can flourish and with international support I believe that Iraq will be able to build a democratic nation free from the fear of the Saddam years. To walk away from Iraq now would be a betrayal of the Iraqi people.