Iraqi Politics Beginning to Look Democratic

Whatever your views on the original wisdom of the Iraq War, it is hard to deny that Iraq’s political future will have important long-term effects on the Middle East and beyond. As time passes it will come to serve as either a tragic or successful example of democracy in the Arab world. That is why recent news from Foreign Policy is heartening. Jason Gluck, a former advisor to the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq, reports that Iraqi politics, while still deeply divided, is beginning to look more like traditional democratic politics. Legislators are making deals and compromises on crucial issues, and politicians are upholding the Iraqi Constitution as the criterion for legislative legitimacy. Perhaps even more hopeful is the fact that politicians are beginning to make alliances with members of opposing sects. No matter your personal thoughts on the war, we can all agree that this is positive news.