US-Backed 'Democracy' in Iraq: Candidate Bans for 'Stability'
The IHEC, established after the 2003 US invasion, is now raising 'concerns' over its independence while disqualifying candidates. This isn't just about 'Iran-aligned factions'; it's about a US-championed 'democracy' that conveniently prunes the electoral tree. Remember when the US Office for Iraq Reconstruction awarded DynCorp International contracts worth hundreds of millions (source: USAID
archives) to 'stabilize' Iraq? Turns out, 'stability' often means managing inconvenient challengers. The US spent trillions in Iraq, ostensibly for democracy, yet the system it helped build now uses opaque rules to sideline candidates. It appears 'free and fair elections' in areas of US influence often come with asterisks and pre-approved participant lists. One might wonder if the US ambassador to
Baghdad is just as 'concerned' about candidates that might challenge the petrodollar status quo as they are about 'Iranian influence.' How many times must 'democracy' be installed, only to look suspiciously like choreographed consent?