'Zero hour' in Iraq unlike the past

Almost 60 years ago the United States occupied both Germany and Japan in what was termed in German Stunde Null, or "zero hour." While the physical conditions in the erstwhile Axis nations were worse than in Iraq today, the transition from dictatorship to democracy seemed smoother. Violence against the occupiers occurred rarely, and only a few years after Japan and Germany declared independence, prosperity and stability transpired.
Perhaps the allies were seen more as liberators than occupiers, or perhaps the west and western values offered something tangible and desirable to the occupied. President Bush and his neo-conservative allies clearly believe that Iraq is headed down this promising path, but many others have expressed their doubts.
One needs to remember that the post World War II occupation took over four years with a commitment of substantial troops and will. Polls today suggest that the U.S. does not have the resolve for a prolonged occupation and convey skepticism that democracy necessarily and in all cases leads to prosperity and stability. From 1945-1949, there developed a sense that Germany was headed in the right direction away from its Nazi past, and in the west, distinct from Communism. Yet while many in Iraq no doubt have benefited from the removal of Saddam Hussein, many others' lives have worsened.
While the U.S. manipulated German elections in favor of the CDU and Konrad Adenauer, all of the other viable parties were committed to peaceful coexistence. Adenauer himself, while by no means the unanimous choice of Germans, was respected throughout most of the west.The reputation of Iyad Allawi across Iraq is not as bright. One fears that all the parties in the upcoming Iraqi elections will not be as committed to a unified, democratic, and secular Iraq as many in the United States hope.
Ethnically homogeneous
Germany was much more ethnically homogeneous than Iraq and had experience -- albeit a troubled one -- with democracy. Its neighbors all had a similar system. Within a decade, Germany helped forge an economic and political community with its neighbors because the general values of western European nations were in consort. Iraq, again, is different, and it is difficult to envision Iraq in a Middle Eastern community with Israel and Iran.
After the war the United States worked as part of a coalition to share the burden of de-Nazification and led the move for an international tribunal to try past war criminals, which took the onus off the U.S. acting as the world's conscience. Today the U.S. goes it alone at the peril of financial and political danger. In 1945, the countries that occupied Germany had actually been attacked by Germany or German allies, which made both the occupation more palatable to Americans and more justifiable to the world. Today the reasons for the war, particularly to Iraqis and the U.S. troops in Iraq, have become confused and forgotten.
Even today, 60 years after the Second World War ended, American troops are based in Germany and have been accepted, by and large, as the byproduct of the war. Will American troops ever earn the trust and respect of Iraqis? Historical parallels are often dangerous to make because of the many variables, and often times they are used wrongly by policymakers looking for validation for their particular plans. Let's hope Iraq will turn out just as favorable as Germany, but I am not betting on it.
X Glenn R. Sharfman is a professor of history at Hiram College.