Baghdad Leaders Get a Map of Democracy in Denver

Somewhere between talk of block grants and the Steele Street rezoning plan, the game-faced members of the Baghdad City Council began to flag.

Adnan Abdul-Sahib Hassan glanced at his watch. Riyadh Adhadh examined his hotel room key. Abdul Ghainy Hussainy scribbled furiously, then sighed.

The group, here this week to learn about democracy at the local level, was sitting in on Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s meeting with his City Council. There were discussions about employee insurance plans, complex funding issues and all the minutia that goes into running a major American city. If English were a second language to the Iraqis, this was surely a third.

Hickenlooper then turned to the guests and warmly welcomed them. One Denver council member offered a traditional Arabic greeting, “Salaam aleikum” -- peace be with you -- while another asked if the group had been able to visit an American grocery store. The Iraqis, hailing from a city with many such shops, smiled indulgently.

“It’s somewhat fateful that you are here in our city, given what has happened in Iraq,” said Hickenlooper, referring to the recent capture of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. “It’s a great opportunity for us to reflect on the land of opportunity we have been given.”

In the U.S., the mayor said, it’s not necessary to cast off a dictator when changing governments.

The Iraqis, dapper in their well-cut suits, nodded vigorously.

Gifts were exchanged. The mayor was given a map of Baghdad, along with some Iraqi money with Hussein’s face neatly crossed out. The Iraqis received Norman Rockwell prints.

Sheik Dhari Dhari, one of the visiting councilmen, said he admired the freedom of speech and “freedom of everything” he had seen so far. He then asked about a new homeless shelter in Denver.

“I saw it on TV last night,” he said. “Why didn’t you think of this before? In Iraq, we don’t have this problem. The families are very strong.”

The 37 members of the Baghdad council were elected in April. The four with the best English skills came to Denver last week. Peter Kenney, who received a contract from the U.S. Agency for International Development to train the council, is a Denver resident, so he chose the city as the place for Iraqis to see how local democracy works.

The councilmen attended municipal meetings, met with the governor, spoke with newspaper editorial boards, watched a federal court hearing and spent time with Iraqi exiles. They will head to Washington next week.

“They have enormous influence, but their authority is still limited,” Kenney said. “They are like a city council in apprenticeship.”

Iraq may have one of the world’s oldest civilizations but, in terms of democracy, it’s still an infant. For more than 30 years, the government largely has been a tool of Hussein and his Baath Party, which crushed any dissent.

During their visit, the councilmen seemed most impressed by seemingly small things. Buses that ran, garbage that was picked up and lights that illuminated when switched on. In Iraq, such services remain sporadic.

“They have contracts, work, they can spend money,” said Hussainy, an engineer. “We don’t have the authority to do that yet, but we are learning democracy here -- a different way to solve problems. There is a big gap between dictatorship and democracy.”

And a big gap between political life in Iraq and America.

Dhari, a former farmer, said two members of the Baghdad council already had been murdered by guerrillas fighting the U.S. occupation.

“We get threats, but they will not stop us,” he said. “We started work as a council to improve life, and we are in the first stages of that.”

Dhari said it was difficult to pick just one priority for the council.

“Security is a priority,” he said. “Finding a solution for Iraq’s debt is a priority -- everything is a priority.”

Hassan, the council chairman and a former Iraqi Airways flight attendant, denied being a collaborator, as Iraqi insurgents have labeled those working with the American-led coalition.

“We are not cooperating with the coalition, we are cooperating with our people,” he said. “We have been targeted because we are trying to make life better for Iraqis.”

In a city of more than 5 million people, Baghdad council districts can be huge. The council, made up of Sunni and Shiite Muslims, Christians and women, was elected by neighborhood caucuses.

“In Iraq, the government was a triangle, with power coming from the top,” Hassan said. “In America, power comes from the bottom up, and this is really marvelous.”

The councilmen said their visit showed how far they had to go -- but also gave them a blueprint for how to do it. Personally, they said, the Mile High City cemented itself in their hearts.

“We are in love with Denver,” Hassan said while drinking tea in a hotel restaurant.

“The moment we got here, Saddam was captured. We will always associate Denver with the end of Saddam.”