Bottom up reconciliation in Iraq

Brian Bresnahan:

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At what point did we forget that this nation was built upon the hard work, entrepreneurship, ingenuity, and self-reliance of individuals and local organizations, not as a result of the federal government’s intervention?

When did the role of the federal government change from serving us in a very limited way, and was even then viewed as an obstruction to progress, into service as the primary driver of people’s lives?

Those questions can be addressed in another column, but are presented here as an illustration of the attitude, the mentality that the highest levels of government are the only reservoir to tap for answers to our woes.

This mind set not only minimizes our own citizenship, but also prevents some from seeing the reality that it’s the people who solve problems, not the government. And that’s what’s happening in Iraq.

But this type of tunnel vision, where the national government is believed to be the answer to all of our problems, prevents people from seeing the “bottom up” progress being made in Iraq.

Right now Iraq is moving forward from the bottom up, not the top down, achieving the political reconciliation so many believe is lacking.

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The surge in troops and improved security is bringing about political reconciliation, but not at the highest levels. It’s taking place at the local level.

The tribes in the Anbar province which have come together over the course of the last 8 months or so to fight Al Qaeda may all be Sunni Muslims, but that doesn’t mean they would normally ally with one another. In fact, fighting amongst the tribes would tend to be the norm. Long running, decades or more, rivalries and blood feuds would normally prevent such cooperation. But those differences have been reconciled during the course of the surge such that political and security alliances could be created.

Similar cooperation is taking place among Sunni and Shia tribes in the area around Taji, north of Baghdad, as described in a July 23rd Washington Times article. Several tribes from both religious groups entered into an agreement to fight together against Sunni Al Qaeda terrorists and Shia Mahdi Army insurgents. Again, differences have been reconciled for the betterment of all.

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At the local level Iraqi’s are coming together. They are reconciling political differences. They are reconciling long standing feuds amongst each other. They are crossing tribal lines to cooperate with one another. They are crossing religious lines to build a better future.

Across Iraq, the progress sought by so many politicians here, the political reconciliation on which so many believe Iraq fails or succeeds, is taking place. But it’s occurring at the bottom first and building higher, which makes it difficult for “top down” centric people to grasp.

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If they allow the Iraqis to build this bottom up reconciliation it will be much stronger than the top down type that politicians are pushing. right now the momentum is going in the right directions but the politicians still have time to screw it up. The military is riding the crest of a wave of rejection of al Qaeda right now through out Iraq. It is something to build on not tear down with forced measures from above. A stronger more durable Iraq is obtainable if we are smart enough to seize the moment.