BAROMETRIC BALLOT
Most, but not all, of Iraq’s provinces will be voting (awash in communal restrictions and major security precautions) in provincial elections on Saturday. It is – and remains – a sign, not anywhere near a solution.
So what can the Iraqi elections achieve? Hopefully, they will reverse the destabilizing repercussions of the January 2005 polls, when the absence of key constituencies led to highly imbalanced councils, and the preponderance of religiously-guided, exile-bred parties produced poor administration and pervasive corruption.
Likewise, the elections will be a good test-run for a parliamentary vote later this year. They are a potential bellwether for nationwide political trends including the role of religion, the endurance of ethnic and sectarian identities, and the deepening conflict over decentralization.
[snip]
…The voting will indeed be a sign of revival. We should see it as an indicator of things to come. But we should not interpret it as conclusive evidence that Iraq has been fixed. There, elections are just the beginning. Source
Also, FYI:
The State Department will not renew Blackwater Worldwide’s contract to protect American diplomats in Iraq when it expires in May, a senior U.S. official said Friday. The official told The Associated Press that the contract will lapse because of the Iraqi government’s decision to deny Blackwater a license to operate. Source
Missing from this and all previous related stories is whether any new or expanded contract with another private contractor shall include checks against hiring in or subcontracting for Blackwater employees.
