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# Posted 11:32 AM by Ariel David Adesnik

LEARNING FAST: Yesterday, I taunted Gulf News editor Abdul Hamid Ahmad for implying that Iraqis are not Arabs. At the same time, I expressed a certain hope that images of the Iraqi people celebrating an American victory would "force Arabs throughout the Middle East to reconsider their definition of Arab identity."

That it would happen this fast I couldn't've imagined. Writing in today's Gulf News, the selfsame Mr. Ahmad observes that

With the stunning and shameful collapse of the Iraqi regime and its Baathist reign, another Arab era has vanished, turning the pages of contemporary Arab history and opening a new chapter...

When the winds of change started to blow, it was not only the regime that came tumbling down, but all the institutions as well. And a stark reality was revealed: that these institutions were virtual phantoms as far as the people were concerned. They were under the complete command of the regime. The people were not allowed to participate in the establishment and running of these institutions...

This situation should no longer be prolonged or repeated in other Arab countries. Single party monopoly suppresses all types of political participation and only leads to the suffocation of people, politically and socially. Political and social turmoil reach a boiling point - a pressure cooker waiting to burst...

Democracy should not merely be exercised superficially - displayed without any substance. Instead, it should become a part of public life where every Arab citizen is virtually a partner in any development process instead of just remaining marginalised. This is the change that should replace totalitarianism and monopoly of power by a single party...

While I don't want to overplay the conversion of a single editor to the democratic cause, I think that such an event is still worth noting. With any luck, it won't be the last.

(For more on Arab media reaction to the war, take a look at today's column by Jefferson Morley.)

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