The Referendum

Thank you to everyone who has sent me care packages, I appreciate it more than you know. Again, the referendum approaches closer. One of our jobs over the past month has been to gauge how well word has spread about the upcoming vote as well as how much the people know about the constitution. It often surprises me how word can spread in a country so seemingly torn apart by war. It is not uncommon to see a village of mudhuts, each with their own satellite dish perched on top. The general consensus among those that are not against the constitution by principle, seems to be that they understand that it is a good thing, but are really unsure as to what it will do for them.
Growing up in the US, the word constitution becomes part of our vocabulary almost immediately upon entering the public school system, and the ideas behind it ingrained soon after. But to an Iraqi, the idea of a written document that will form the foundation of their federal government may not be such an elementary idea. It seems to me that a great blunder was made in the process of Iraqi Constitution production, no one ever told the Iraqi populace what a constitution is.
So again, they seem to understand that the constitution is positive, but the complexities of how it is put together, the ideas of federalism and securing liberty, these concepts are beyond their grasp. But, this may not be so different from the United States in the days leading up to the ratification of the constitution in 1787. The average US citizen at that time had very little conceptual understanding of what formed the basis of their legislation and rights. At this time, as it is today in modern Iraq, citizens were much more concerned with immediate, pressing issues. For the Iraqis, these issues may consist of their children making it safely to school, or possibly the 2-3 hours of power they receive a day.
In 1787, it was not a nationwide vote. The representatives, elected by the people, voted in what they felt was the best interest of their constituents. These representatives were generally well educated, because of this being in a better position to fully understand the concept of a constitution and what it should consist of. Iraq, in it’s effort to be as democratic a state as possible, has left the issue up to the general population.
In the days before the final vote is to be held, I do not hope that the constitution passes, even though it may bring my job closer to completion. I do not wish for the Sunni population to vote for something they feel is not in their best interest. What I do wish is that for one day, the Iraqis will put aside their differences, stop mercilessly killing each other, and will simply go to the polls and put a check next to what they feel best supports the needs of their new government. Will that happen? No. But it's a thought.