[Stoat]

That's quite a list. It's a shame economic issues aren't addressed, except for the Iraqi Independent Democrats' Kerry-esque (socialist/communist) call for an end to unemployment and poverty (a chicken in every pot in the Worker's Paradise)

It's a great concern to me that the Communists will gain a foothold in Iraq, preying upon the unemployed and uneducated as is their usual method.  The usual pitfall of Communism, that being the necessity to absorb other nations and additional real estate because as an economic system it cannot sustain itself within it's own borders, may be eliminated in a country where money essentially spews from the ground in astronomical quantities.   In this case the religious intensity of the region may help stem the red tide, as it will be difficult for the Communists to masquerade as being friendly to even a marginally faith-based Government.  Still, many Iraqis may be so eager for an end to terror in their midst that they may be willing to roll the dice and accept Communism or "Commie-Lite" when it promises an ironhanded State crackdown upon terror.  Hopefully, memories of Saddam's state-sponsored murderous brutality will not fade too quickly and the people will be willing to give Democracy a chance, even if it takes them two or three election cycles before they begin getting it right.

I pray that most of the candidates have the best interests of the Iraqi people at heart and that they can forge a representative government employed BY the people and FOR them.
 

Agreed.  I believe that if Democracy is given a proper chance, the people will never turn away from it thereafter.  Freedom is something that people are usually not likely to willingly give away, once they've experienced it.

That's quite a list. It's a shame economic issues aren't addressed, except for the Iraqi Independent Democrats' Kerry-esque (socialist/communist) call for an end to unemployment and poverty (a chicken in every pot in the Worker's Paradise)

It's a great concern to me that the Communists will gain a foothold in Iraq, preying upon the unemployed and uneducated as is their usual method.  The usual pitfall of Communism, that being the necessity to absorb other nations and additional real estate because as an economic system it cannot sustain itself within it's own borders, may be eliminated in a country where money essentially spews from the ground in astronomical quantities.   In this case the religious intensity of the region may help stem the red tide, as it will be difficult for the Communists to masquerade as being friendly to even a marginally faith-based Government.  Still, many Iraqis may be so eager for an end to terror in their midst that they may be willing to roll the dice and accept Communism or "Commie-Lite" when it promises an ironhanded State crackdown upon terror.  Hopefully, memories of Saddam's state-sponsored murderous brutality will not fade too quickly and the people will be willing to give Democracy a chance, even if it takes them two or three election cycles before they begin getting it right.

I pray that most of the candidates have the best interests of the Iraqi people at heart and that they can forge a representative government employed BY the people and FOR them.
 

Agreed.  I believe that if Democracy is given a proper chance, the people will never turn away from it thereafter.  Freedom is something that people are usually not likely to willingly give away, once they've experienced it.

[cake_crumb]

"It's a great concern to me that the Communists will gain a foothold in Iraq, preying upon the unemployed and uneducated as is their usual method."

This is the problem in the so-called Arab world. While the people instinctively long for freedom, they have no idea what it is. I've tried over the years to explain the concepts behind our representative republic to Muslims in the Arab world. It's invariably like trying to explain it to five year-old children. The closest they seem to come to understanding is the vague idea that they get to pick their dictator. This will change over the years. Indeed it IS changing as exiles who thrived in the West go home to help bring the opportunites they enjoyed in the West to their own people. However, the process is VERY slow.

"I believe that if Democracy is given a proper chance, the people will never turn away from it thereafter. Freedom is something that people are usually not likely to willingly give away, once they've experienced it."

Hear, hear!