NPR: Nice Trees. Can't Imagine There's a Forest Around Here Though.
THERE WAS A REPORT on National Public Radio this morning about elections that are supposed to happen in Iraq soon. As NPR seems to often do, they make a couple of points in passing, without seeming to notice that they have implications worth exploring.
Without a deal by this weekend, Iraq will run out of time to organize an election before the government’s term expires. [NPR]
The report mentions this, and also reports the following:
- The government’s term expires January first.
- The Iraqi organization in charge of running elections says they need 90 days to organize a legitimate poll.
What NPR does not point out is that it is already October 29th.
Apparently, US diplomats are taking a hands-off approach, and letting the Iraqis run their own affairs. Although, as the NPR report mentions:
A long delay might even trip up the pace of American troop withdrawal. [NPR]
What NPR does not point out is that the US doesn’t always shy away from getting involved in foreign elections. No discussion of how US interests are served by a policy of either getting involved, or not getting involved, in a particular election. Other than the passing mention of delayed troop withdrawals.
[WSJ via J.R. Boyd]
Stump Lane 
Acknowledging “interests” undermines the premise of a “national interest,” so instrumental in advancing the interests of certain groups over others. This is particularly important in foreign policy where no pretense of a democratic process prevails; the commander-in-chief acts in every instance to defend the “national interest.” To depart from this formula is to depart from liberal-democratic theology altogether, so it is not surprising that graduate degree holders in journalism are reluctant to do so.
Competing interests are only acknowledged in the legislative and juridical spheres, where they are invariably asserted to be equal under the law, regardless of every other inequality.
well said.
see also Arthur Silber regarding interests and justifications: link