Wednesday, June 08, 2005
"This is what progress looks like"
Major K. reports on a meeting between local sheikhs, Iraqi police, the Iraqi army, and the United States forces. There is a picture of people sitting around a conference room table, hashing out their differences.
Read the whole thing, and revel in how boring and normal it all sounds. And then realize that boring meetings are the essence of any system that fundamentally relies on the consent of the governed.
This is what progress looks like. It is slow, painful, and usually accompanied by a lot of cigarette smoke, especially in this area of the world, where it seems like everyone smokes... [The] Iraqi leaders of the meeting admonished everyone to watch their tone and be respectful toward each other in spite of their disagreements. Just like meetings back in America, much more was said than was actually accomplished, but the fact the these folks are getting together without being at gunpoint is another sign that we're moving in the right direction.
Read the whole thing, and revel in how boring and normal it all sounds. And then realize that boring meetings are the essence of any system that fundamentally relies on the consent of the governed.
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