"I doubted our exit strategy of building a democracy in Iraq."Same thoughts here but the results so far have been encouraging.The key to a successful(longterm)democracy in Iraq will depend to a large degree on keeping the radical muslims out of power.Pretty tough task when one considers party lines are drawn along religous lines ie Sunni,Shiite,Shia.I'd estimate the possibility of a successful democracy in Iraq at about 50/50.
50/50 doesn't sound like good odds...but it's better than I figured going in. Keeping the radicals out of power is the big problem in a democracy. It only takes one super majority to abolish all of the protections, controls and future elections and establish something along the lines of the farce of a democracy that is in Iran. But at this point I think there is a decent chance of establishing enough stability and peace that we will be able to disengage. Those chances go up the greater difficulty in holding power in Syria and Iran. I know some Iranians and that nation is a powder keg waiting to blow up under the Ayatollahs there.