Iraq takes another step forward.
“Polls closed across Iraq on Sunday as the war-weary population awaits results from the national election that will decide the future of the country’s still-fragile democracy.
“The election tested the mettle of the country’s shaky security as insurgents killed 31 people across Iraq, unleashing a barrage of mortars intent on disrupting the historic day.
“About 19 million Iraqis were eligible to vote on a government that will oversee the withdrawal of U.S. forces. The election is critical in determining whether Iraq can overcome the jagged sectarian divisions that have defined it since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.”
Imperfect and marred by violence in places; however, that country (so far) refuses to quit. The Iraqis might march/lurch/step/stagger, but it’s always forward. They are building that rarest of commodities in the Mideast– a tradition of open elections that happen on time.
Imagine that.
Good for them. We wish them nothing but the best, because a functional stable prosperous Iraq with enduring representative government is good for the Iraqis, good for the Mideast, good for us and good for the world.
