A Divided Nation’s Opinion Split Over American Election

Iraqis were almost as sharply divided as the American electorate over the results of the U.S. presidential election: the majority of Shiite Muslims and Kurds appeared pleased that President Bush would serve another four-year term, whereas many Sunni Muslims expressed anger and regret.

Iraqis closely followed the U.S. vote, watching the coverage on Arabic satellite TV channels and on Internet sites and chatting with friends over morning tea Wednesday as the returns shifted steadily toward Bush.

The competing views reflected the changes in political fortunes here that occurred as a result of the U.S.-led invasion. Shiites and Kurds had been oppressed by President Saddam Hussein, who was ousted in the war. Sunnis, who enjoyed power under Hussein and now are believed to be in the forefront of the insurgency, have felt betrayed by their diminished role.

The repeated bombing of Sunni areas by the U.S. military, which says it is targeting foreign fighters and insurgents, has compounded Sunni distrust of the Bush administration

“Our society has a sort of enmity toward Bush,” said Khalid Abdul-Rahman, 40, a Baghdad shopkeeper in the Sunni Amiriya neighborhood. “We preferred [Sen. John F.] Kerry because during his campaign at least he promised to withdraw his troops from our land.

“Kerry’s statements relieved some of the pains which Bush had caused to each Iraqi,” he said. “We were praying that we would not see his face again. We wanted a more moderate man.”

At almost the opposite end of the spectrum are the Kurds, who are grateful to Bush for forcing out Hussein, who was responsible for killing tens of thousands of their kinsmen in such incidents as the 1988 gassing of the northern Kurdish town of Halabja. The overwhelmingly secular Kurds are also sympathetic to Bush’s vocal opposition to religious Islamic militants.

“Right now we’re witnessing a battle between international terrorism and democracy,” said Kurdistan Democratic Party official Faraj Haydari. “The neighboring countries believe that Iraq is a steppingstone to changing the whole region -- therefore, it is a conflict of survival for them.”

Haydari said he thought the strategic infrastructure for the insurgency was funded by neighbors of Iraq, though most of the fighting was done by Iraqis.

“What we call ‘resistance’ is actually fighting for neighboring countries,” he said. “Bush Jr. decided to get rid of Saddam while the Democrats didn’t do anything about Saddam.”

In an Internet cafe in Najaf, a city holy to Shiites, residents crowded around computers to follow the election results.

At the time, Bush had 254 electoral votes and Kerry had 252 -- both short of the 270 needed to claim the presidency. Haidar Nazar, 40, who holds a doctorate in history, scrutinized a map of the United States: “I think if Bush reaches victory he will enjoy more freedom in his decisions about how to fight terrorism and control security in Iraq because the election will be behind him,” he said.

Further south in Samawa, also a Shiite town, there was jubilation at Bush’s reelection. “The people of Samawa don’t care about supporting the Republican or the Democratic parties,” said Hussain Monasab, a member of the Samawa City Council. “But they care about the victory of Bush because he has qualities Kerry lacks. Most importantly, Bush was decisive on the Iraq issue and had a clear policy toward the Iraqis.”

In Baghdad, torn by bombings, kidnappings and rocket and mortar attacks, the tone was more often fatalistic than it was partial to one candidate.

“Bush will complete what he started, the Iraqi issue will become more complicated.... It will not be solved in the near future,” said Ahmed Hashim, 28, a college student who runs a shop in the Amiriya neighborhood. “Another four years of Bush’s rule means he will be more severe in his wars against what he calls ‘the terrorism.’ More innocent people will be killed. He must change his close circle [of advisors] and include more rational, wiser people.... Iraqis I met are frustrated because he is reelected. He is planning to dominate the Middle East; he never thinks about the interest of the region’s people.”

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Special correspondents Raheem Salman in Baghdad, Faris Mehdawi in Baqubah and Saad Sadik in Najaf contributed to this report.