Michael R. Turner, October 21, 2005

Winning the war on terror is necessary to make each of us safer in our homeland and across the world. This is a different kind of war than our nation has ever fought and it will test our patience. It is important to keep our successes in mind, including the most recent achievements in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A significant, but often forgotten, part of President Bush’s case for invading Iraq was to spread democracy throughout the Middle East. In a speech to the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), prior to any military action against Iraq, the president said, "A new regime in Iraq would serve as a dramatic and inspiring example of freedom for other nations in the region." The Financial Times reported on the speech by saying, "Mr. Bush laid out an optimistic and altruistic vision for the Arab world."

There is a tremendous benefit to a democratized Middle East. James Woolsey, Director of the CIA from 1993-95, expressed the importance of successfully converting Middle Eastern countries into democracies in a recent speech: "It is the best path to peace, since democracies do not fight one another. They fight dictatorships and dictatorships fight each other. And democracies sometimes preempt against dictatorships, but they do not fight one another."

Since February 2003 a great deal has changed in the Middle East, much of it suggesting that democracy is just beginning to take hold in several countries.

Recently, Afghanistan held its first parliamentary elections in 35 years. By all accounts Election Day in Afghanistan can be called a great success. The elections determine who will represent the people in the Wolesi Jirga, the Afghan equivalent of our Congress. Over 12.4 million Afghanis were registered to vote in the most recent election. That is approximately two million more registered voters than in the presidential election last October, which elected Hamid Karzai president.

To provide security at the 6,300 polling places approximately 49,000 Afghan National Police and 30,000 Afghan National Army soldiers were present in all thirty four provinces. In the city of Zabul, once a Taliban stronghold, Col. Habib Khan, Zabul’s anti-terrorism chief, said, "We have secured the city and provided the people with a safe environment to vote in, the enemy has had no effect on the elections and the day has been a big success."

I understood the reasons the Afghan elections were successful because of my recent trip there. One reason is that Afghans identify themselves with Afghanistan rather than with a particular religion or a sect. Citizens I met made it clear that they do not regard themselves as Arab Muslims and considered the influences of Al Qaeda and the Taliban to be outside their country. The possibility of civil war after the U.S. ousted the Taliban was of particular concern because many had wrongly assumed the majority of Afghans were not loyal to any country.

I also visited Egypt and spoke with President Hosni Mubarak just days before the country’s first true elections in over 7,000 years. It was widely agreed that Egypt needed to make democratic reforms. Although many advised him to make his democratic reforms effective after he left office, President Mubarak was willing to risk his presidency by starting those reforms now. He told me that democracy would be more established and better able to be sustained if he instituted the first meaningful elections, rather than waiting until after he left office to begin the process.

Most recently, Iraq’s Constitutional referendum was successful. Last January, in the country’s first truly free elections since 1953, over 14.3 million Iraqis registered to vote. Despite threats of violence approximately 58% of registered voters cast a ballot in those historic first parliamentary elections. Just nine months later, for the Constitutional referendum, an additional 1.3 million Iraqis registered to vote and turnout increased to approximately 61%.

Further, relatively little insurgent violence was reported compared with the prior election. The Wall Street Journal reported that just one of the 1,200 polling stations in Baghdad came under attack.

I have twice visited Iraq to assess the progress of our military and humanitarian efforts. I have met the people and our troops there. One of my most memorable experiences in Iraq was visiting with our military troops, reviewing their working conditions and personal morale. Our troops are clear and secure in their purpose, well trained and well equipped to complete their difficult assignments. They impressed me with their bravery, determination, readiness to defend America, and willingness to help establish permanent stability in the Middle East.

From the beginning, the name of our mission in Iraq has been named "Operation Iraqi Freedom." The ultimate goal of this mission has always been to liberate the people of Iraq and give them the tools to build a free and democratic Iraq. It appears that democracy is well on its way to taking hold in Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, and perhaps elsewhere in other countries in the Middle East.

Congressman Mike Turner, a Republican, represents the 3rd Congressional District of Ohio, which includes the city of Dayton.