Is democracy taking root in Iraq and Afghanistan Research Paper

Is democracy taking root in Iraq and Afghanistan - Research Paper Example Iraq and Afghanistan--two Muslim countries enthralled to a promising democracy, yet, are still subject under political scrutiny. Particularly, the United States initiated democracy for it believes that such would bring more legitimacy and justice into these nations, and would inspire other countries in the Middle East which are, in themselves, victims of the political, social, and geopolitical strife that caused extremism, global terrorism, and violent conflict. At this point, it is worthwhile to cite the five strongest indicators that democracy is taking root in Iraq and Afghanistan; all of which signifies the importance of freedom of expression in the modern society: (1) separation of religion and state, (2) economic progress, improvement in education and formal training, and improved access to leisure, (3) ability to air out grievances and clarify discrepancies in the system, (4) larger and clearer accountability, and (5) liberalism. Nonetheless, democracy has also posed big challenges for both countries: (1) vulnerability to failure of â€Å"democracy† experiment, (2) non-compromise with extremists, (3) religious and secular conflict, (4) rise of new insurgents and regional terrorists, (5) lack of security and its effects on women voters and political leaders. Pros--Democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan Almost all of the benefits that democracy conveys point out to the expansion of personal freedom. This is, first and foremost, evident in the changes in the electoral processes. In Iraq, for example, the election voting system was changed from tight voting into an open voting process, thereby allowing voters to directly choose particular candidates.