Iraq: August 10, 2002

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Iraqi opposition groups met with American officials in Washington. The Iraqi opposition represents the typically fractious nature of Iraqi politics when a dictator like Saddam Hussein is not in control. While after World War II, US occupation troops successfully introduced democracy in Germany and Japan, those two nations already had experience with successful party politics. It will be a grand experiment to see if a democratic government can get started and thrive in an Arab country. So far, this sort of thing has not worked in the Arab world. Dictatorship and monarchy are the only two forms of government that have survived so far in the Arab world. It is thought that Arab nations are so opposed to an Iraqi invasion not because they support Saddam, but because they fear rebellion of their own people if democracy works in a post-invasion Iraq.