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National Conference and hope await Iraq
POSTED: 27 JANUARY, 2012
Iraq (MNN) ― Iraq's efforts toward reconciliation and keeping a coalition government together hinge on the outcome of the upcoming National Conference.
Cracks have already appeared in the façade of a unified government, with parties being unable to cooperate long enough to set a time and place for the meetings.
Still, according to Melissa Brown* with SAT-7 USA, the meetings have to happen. "The President, the Prime Minister, and other notable politicians will get together and try to resolve some of their interpersonal conflicts, try to resolve some of the security issues the nation is facing--basically, just to get together and try to map out a better plan for the future."
December's withdrawal of U.S. forces highlights this as a key transition period for Iraqi leaders to map out a plan for a better future. However, skepticism over the Conference's effectiveness is rampant. Brown explains, "Some feel that there have been many conferences and meetings to try to resolve the issues. In the past, there have been a lot of big words, but little action. Some are hopeful that there will be new agreements between political parties, so that hopefully, if they get along better, they can bring a better economy."
At the end of last year, the call went out for a national conference of all of Iraq's ruling political parties to try to resolve their on-going disputes. At first, it seemed like this would happen as planned, but there were immediate disagreements over the logistics. Security issues also came into play after an attack in Basra, one of the proposed meeting sites.
The average person just wants the leadership to "get on with it." Iraq's political parties have been having meetings off and on since the parliamentary elections in March 2010. Little else has been done since then, and the main issues of corruption, security and economy still languish in the background.
Confronting those issues presents a unique "chicken and egg" question of what to prioritize once lawmakers can sit down face-to-face. Brown notes, "In order for the economy to flourish, the security situation has to get better. At the same time, part of the security is the people's lack of confidence in the government."
Fed up, there are many who are disillusioned with the process and are looking for not only a positive message, but also hope. That's where SAT-7, a Christian satellite television ministry to the Middle East and North Africa, comes in. Brown says the programming found on their channels meets that need. Plus, "In a country of about 30 million people, over four million children are watching SAT-7, and that's just the children. Of course, there are even more adults, and they have had a spike in viewer responses of people who are finding hope and finding comfort."
In the throes of labor for a new government, it is now that the hope of Christ can be heard clearly, despite the ongoing harassment and persecution. There's one guaranteed solution. Brown says, "Christians in Iraq offer hope to their country because the life of Christ offers an alternative to violence as a means of resolving conflict. The life of Christ also offers an alternative to religious and ethnic discrimination in the community, and the life of Christ offers an alternative to corruption."
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POSTED: 27 JANUARY, 2012
Iraq (MNN) ― Iraq's efforts toward reconciliation and keeping a coalition government together hinge on the outcome of the upcoming National Conference.
Cracks have already appeared in the façade of a unified government, with parties being unable to cooperate long enough to set a time and place for the meetings.
Still, according to Melissa Brown* with SAT-7 USA, the meetings have to happen. "The President, the Prime Minister, and other notable politicians will get together and try to resolve some of their interpersonal conflicts, try to resolve some of the security issues the nation is facing--basically, just to get together and try to map out a better plan for the future."
December's withdrawal of U.S. forces highlights this as a key transition period for Iraqi leaders to map out a plan for a better future. However, skepticism over the Conference's effectiveness is rampant. Brown explains, "Some feel that there have been many conferences and meetings to try to resolve the issues. In the past, there have been a lot of big words, but little action. Some are hopeful that there will be new agreements between political parties, so that hopefully, if they get along better, they can bring a better economy."
At the end of last year, the call went out for a national conference of all of Iraq's ruling political parties to try to resolve their on-going disputes. At first, it seemed like this would happen as planned, but there were immediate disagreements over the logistics. Security issues also came into play after an attack in Basra, one of the proposed meeting sites.
The average person just wants the leadership to "get on with it." Iraq's political parties have been having meetings off and on since the parliamentary elections in March 2010. Little else has been done since then, and the main issues of corruption, security and economy still languish in the background.
Confronting those issues presents a unique "chicken and egg" question of what to prioritize once lawmakers can sit down face-to-face. Brown notes, "In order for the economy to flourish, the security situation has to get better. At the same time, part of the security is the people's lack of confidence in the government."
Fed up, there are many who are disillusioned with the process and are looking for not only a positive message, but also hope. That's where SAT-7, a Christian satellite television ministry to the Middle East and North Africa, comes in. Brown says the programming found on their channels meets that need. Plus, "In a country of about 30 million people, over four million children are watching SAT-7, and that's just the children. Of course, there are even more adults, and they have had a spike in viewer responses of people who are finding hope and finding comfort."
In the throes of labor for a new government, it is now that the hope of Christ can be heard clearly, despite the ongoing harassment and persecution. There's one guaranteed solution. Brown says, "Christians in Iraq offer hope to their country because the life of Christ offers an alternative to violence as a means of resolving conflict. The life of Christ also offers an alternative to religious and ethnic discrimination in the community, and the life of Christ offers an alternative to corruption."
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