Capitol Hill Briefing 

# Iraq: Struggling Democracy or Rising Terrorism? 

Date and Time 

December 18, 2003 1 - 2:30 PM EST 

Location 

B-338 Rayburn House Office Building 

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##### Featuring 

Featuring **Patrick Basham**, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; and **Charles Peña**, Director of Defense Policy Studies, Cato Institute. 

America’s latest blueprint for returning the governing of Iraq to Iraqis continues to be beset by logistical, political, and security problems. Iraq lacks the ability to organize national elections or, many say, the will to support democracy. Iraq is composed of too many irreconcilable ethnic and religious groups for democracy, let alone support for the Governing Council, to take root. Meanwhile, terrorist attacks – and U.S. casualties – mount by the day. And, still, there’s no exit strategy in sight. Has the invasion of Iraq been worth the price? Come hear Cato’s policy experts discuss Iraq’s lessons for Middle East democratization and the war on terrorism.

[Read Patrick Basham’s Iraq Briefing Outline (pdf)](https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/documents/basham-12-18-03.pdf) 
[Read Charles Peña’s Iraq After Saddam’s Capture Outline (pdf)](https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/documents/pena-12-18-03.pdf)

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