[Dean's World] Dave Schuler: Centripetal Force

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Dave Schuler:
Centripetal Force
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1187186640.shtml


   [1]Iraqi above all--Iraqi political opinion 

   Iraq is flying to pieces. The people of Iraq just can't get along with
   each other, they were only held together by authoritarian force, the
   country is fracturing along sectarian and ethnic lines, and it's
   inevitable that with its Shi'ite majority Iraq will become a
   Khomeinist theocracy, dominated by Iran. Right?

   Maybe not. Consider [2]this study from sociologist Mansoor Moaddel of
   the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research:

     So far, the surveys show a decline in popular support for religious
     government in Iraq and an increase in support for secular political
     rule, said sociologist Mansoor Moaddel, who is affiliated with
     Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan
     Institute for Social Research (ISR).

     "Iraqis have a strong sense of national identity that transcends
     religious and political lines," Moaddel said. "The recent
     out-pouring of national pride at the Asian Cup victory of the Iraqi
     soccer team showed that this sense of national pride remains
     strong, despite all the sectarian strife and violence."

     In the March 2007 survey, 54 percent of Iraqis surveyed described
     themselves as "Iraqis, above all," (as opposed to "Muslims, above
     all" or "Arabs, above all") compared with just 28 percent who
     described themselves that way in April 2006. Three-quarters of
     Iraqis living in Baghdad said they thought of themselves in terms
     of their national identity, as Iraqis above all.

   [3]More at The Glittering Eye

References

   1. file://localhost/files/david-ISRiraqchart.jpg
   2. http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=5973
   3. http://theglitteringeye.com/?p=3093