Lessons in liberty for Iraq
Lessons in liberty for Iraq
By Adrian Nastase | June 29, 2004
TODAY, countless Iraqis, many of them young, are struggling to create a new future for their country. Romanians understand their anxiety, hope, and sense of urgency. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the popular uprising in Romania that ended the brutal Ceausescu dictatorship. Since then, we have worked to rebuild an economy devastated by decades of misrule; create democratic institutions; and rejoin the Western family of free nations to which we rightfully belong.
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It has taken hard work and perseverance, but we now have a fast-growing economy and a solid democracy. Four lessons we have learned along the way may be important to those who hope to help Iraq's reconstruction succeed.
Moving forward requires looking forward. Across the globe, those countries that have been most successful in designing and implementing democratic institutions are those societies that avoid the schisms and traps of the past. Humanity must never forget the lessons of history, but we cannot afford to live there. Solutions to 21st century problems will only be found in fresh perspectives and progressive policies that meet the urgent needs of citizens.
Like Iraq, years of tyranny left Romania with extreme poverty and high levels of social polarization. But succeeding with tough economic and political reforms demanded the strengths of all our people. That meant reaching out across ethnic communities to build tolerance and respect for minority rights, and pursuing development polices that will bring new opportunities and hope throughout society.
Problems do not have a political color. Whether citizens of Europe, the Middle East, or elsewhere, people's core expectations are common across the political spectrum: security, access to education and opportunity, a growing economy that offers hope. As free political life takes shape, bringing new debates and tensions, those shared concerns can provide an important reason to pull together, not apart.
In 1990, Romanians across the political spectrum made a deliberate choice to live in democracy and freedom, to build a functioning market economy, and to reintegrate our country into international life. This broad consensus enabled us to confront the problems involved in a near-total transformation of the economy and political system -- ending a closed, centralized system that had dictated life from the halls of government to the family home, and opening the doors to a thriving civil society that promotes freedom and initiative.
Our first efforts produced failures and hesitations, but also progress. And every time, break-out solutions followed a willingness to reach and act on a fundamental social consensus.
Keep it real. The success of a profound national transformation, especially one that demands tough economic and political reforms, depends on whether people believe it can deliver a positive future for their lives. This puts a premium on public and private efforts that deliver what they promise --and constant efforts to root out corruption, one of the greatest enemies of effective reform.
Romania, like other countries in economic transformation, is fighting a battle against corruption, marshalling the powers of the legislature, the judiciary, law enforcement, and international cooperation. That fight will continue as long as corruption continues to threaten our future.
Democracy is not just a slogan. Core change is deep change. It demands a long-term vision and a change of mentality. The process is not simple and results are not immediate. In measuring those results, it is well to remember that the competing ideas and voices of democratic life are signs of success, not failure.
Forty years of communism taught Romanians a simple truth: Only a genuine, permanent partnership between the public sector and the citizens will produce justice and development. Our commitment to democracy inspires a national program of continuing social change -- to strengthen free institutions and consolidate civil society.
As a free nation, we also accept an international responsibility. We are actively engaged in negotiations to enter the European Union, and 22 of 31 steps have been successfully completed. We have been invited to join NATO, and the ratification process concluded earlier this year with every one of NATO's 19 member countries approving.
Recently, I traveled to Al Hillah in Iraq to meet the Romanian troops and peacekeeping forces who are part of the American-led coalition helping to rebuild that country. Iraqis told me how grateful they were for the security and stability that is allowing them to begin the hard work of rebuilding their region.
Romanians can well understand. We are there, not only because we are committed to the war on terror, but because we know, from our own experience, that countries once frozen in oppression can achieve the liberty and dignity their people deserve. We are achieving it, and so can Iraq.
Adrian Nastase is the prime minister of Romania.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/06/29/lessons_in_liberty_for_iraq/
