Constitution-Making in Action (Lily)

Constitution-Making in Action; Lily

This is a link to a blog entry by Dan Murphy, a reporter in Baghdad, where he talks about what he sees as the disparity between the high ideals for personal rights and liberties outlined in the Iraqi Constitution, and the living conditions of present-day Iraqis, who put up with unexpected, warrantless raids on their property, private armed militias, and getting kicked out of their homes by US soldiers who are conducting urban warfare.

It's a fascinating insight into one of OR's working hypotheses: that a nation's constitution can be a living, breathing, dynamic document, but only insofar as the body politic (or what Mr. Murphy calls the "political culture") is able to embrace it and find it workable.