The Iraqi Parliament passed a law Sunday to administer an election in January. This doesn't necessarily mean the election will go smoothly or that it will be followed by peace, tranquility and a growing understanding of freedom or democracy. But it is a helpful step, one that should remove pretexts for delaying the drawdown of U.S. troops.
Iraq is still a deeply divided country in which the majority Shia and the minority Sunni and Kurds retain certain suspicions toward one another. As events proceed, it may or may not make sense for Iraq to remain a united country within borders delineated by British imperialists just after World War I. But as of now, despite inevitable wrangling and recriminations, Iraq's religious and ethnic groups seem willing to work out their differences through some sort of political process rather than through more direct violence and conflict.
One of the major points of disagreement is the city of Kirkuk, in an oil-rich region both Kurds and Sunni Arabs would like to claim.
Kirkuk is just to the south of the region that has become a de facto autonomous Kurdish region. In the 1990s, Saddam Hussein drove most of the Kurds out of Kirkuk, but Kurds recently have returned in large numbers. The compromise election law allows 2009 voter rolls to be used — which would favor Kurds — but allows for an extended review process to placate Sunni Arabs.
The new law also moves from a "closed" to an "open" voting system. Formerly Iraqis simply voted for a party, and party leaders chose the candidates who would go into parliament. In January, voters will be able to vote for individual candidates. The hope is that the resulting parliament will be less divided along strictly sectarian lines.
It is possible that the election will be preceded by some last-ditch insurgent violence and followed by a period of uncertainty as a new government establishes itself. None of this should deter the U.S. from sticking to its timetable for withdrawal. It is time to leave Iraq to the Iraqis, even though the process may be messy.
REPRINTED FROM THE NEW BERN SUN JOURNAL.
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