Photo by: The Marque

The images of the grimly made cell-phone video of Saddam Hussein's assassination leave many with an acrid taste in their mouths. It seems victorious for some, a justified ending of an animal who murdered many without any cause for regret, and is an ominous warning for those who dare to act like him. For others, the judgment came swiftly, before we had ample time to process what had actually happened. Four years ago, I could not have imagined that a world leader would be put to death in such a grotesque and public manner. But four years ago, I had no idea what was really at stake.

As people riddle themselves with the ramifications of Saddam's death I'm forced to think backwards. How did we get here in the first place? Yes, there's the Weapons of Mass Destruction excuse and the underlying fight for oil, but we've heard those explanations hundreds of times. Then, there's the more overt and idealistic motivation that George W. has recorded into our brains as a save-face strategy – the freedom agenda. That is the United States' supreme goal: to aid in the implementation of Democratic ideals to those who do not have it. But in the aftermath of the attempt to "free" the Iraqi people, lie a civil war and a myriad of questions.

It all seems vaguely familiar, as if history is repeating itself again (shocker). The crusades have begun again, but with a political edge. The same players exist: The unrivaled authority of the Church, are today's Western superpowers; the pagan worshipers are the undemocratic nations of the world. In their purest sense, both religious and democratic ideologies mirror each other. After all, many democratic principles are inherently Christian in nature, without overtly stating it. The problem is not in the religion or political ideal, but in the way it has been implemented, currently and historically.

The rise of Christianity, and most religions for that matter were successful because of the ideals that they propagated – the equality of man, freeness of the individual, God's love for all, the importance of good deeds, etc. However, not long after the ashes of the Messiahs were put to rest, religion became a tool to further other causes. A wave of power hungry zealots came to rise in the guise of priests and bishops with the purpose of extending their influence and their perspective of religion. They declared who God loved, and who he did not, what God loved and what he did not, based on the idea, that there are only a chosen few who deserved eternal happiness, a chosen few who are in their favor, not just in God's. Enter the Crusades, where heretics were expelled, "non-believers" were converted, and a new definition of Christianity was created. Of course over time, Christianity was reformed, but the political tool it became, resonates in history: religion became a mechanism for exerting control.

Today, in a similar way, democracy has become the justification for expansion and coercion. Instead of religious zealots, today, there exist political zealots: those who espouse their belief in democracy as the supreme law of the land, and the law that should be enforced upon all nations – whether they ask for it or not. It is a crusade of course, and incites the same fervor, that fierce missionaries and zealots exhibited upon the "pagans" a few hundred years ago. The process by which countries can achieve this ideal is up to one nation – the U.S. This time they have placed their favor upon Iraq and have decided that it is time for them to be "liberated". Though democracy can and does liberate individuals, the way the U.S. has utilized this political tool has ruined the perception of democracy promotion. Thomas Corothers of Foreign Policy magazine notes that, opposition to Western democracy promotion is resistance not to democracy itself, but to American interventionism, which is what the attempt to liberate the Iraqis has become. Instead of determining their own future, it became a political crusade against them. Does that not contradict the very nature of democracy – the people having a choice to determine their country's rule of government? Yes, Saddam had to be overthrown, but if a revolution had to begin, it should begin on the streets, by the very people who would be directly affected by the change, not foreigners, who do not know the language, who do not know the customs, the religion, the sectarian differences. How can the U.S. expect to deploy their version of a political system, when they barely take into account the difference between a Shiite and Sunni. How can democracy be instilled then if the U.S. does not comprehend the very nature of its citizens?

No matter how magnificent the democratic principle is, the enforcement of it has no real justification. Christianity is a wonderful faith, but it was contorted for the motivations of the Crusade leaders. Democracy too is being contorted. Corothers notes, “The Bush administration, must face some unpleasant realities, specifically about the president's "freedom agenda" is perceived around the world, and must engage seriously an effort to build credibility for its democracy endeavor”.

It's been said that historically, religion was spread en masse by the sword. Well today, politics is being spread by the bomb.

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Sana, 24, is a graduate of Barnard College with a Bachelors degree in Political Science, concentrating in Middle Eastern studies. She has worked in advertising and marketing for TIME and RAVE Magazines, and is currently a freelance writer in New York City.

The views and opinions expressed in these comments do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The CulturalConnect.

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