Point of Order: James Jeffrey

The Americans left behind a fledgling democracy in Iraq, the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, James Franklin Jeffrey, said in an interview on Al Arabiya’s Point of Order.

Jeffrey, who became ambassador to Iraq in August 2010, said the country is no longer a threat to its people and neighbors, and is not pursuing chemical weapons, as was the case during Saddam Hussein’s time in power.

Instead, Iraq is holding elections and enjoys an active parliament, together forming the base of a democratic state, he added.

“We Americans, despite many years of direct engagement in Iraq, are not experts on the country, but we are experts for 65 years in helping countries develop,” Jeffrey said.
The ambassador said that Iraq cannot turn in a single day from a dictatorship to a fully-fledged democracy, citing Taiwan as an example.

Since U.S. troops’ withdrawal from Iraq at the end of 2011, Iraq continues to be marred by bombings.

Translation: Mustapha Ajbaili
Voice: Abdullah Madani