The law of unintended consequences will take over after the successful election in Iraq. Syria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia citizens will now be asking why they can't have elections. Also the Iraqis have drunk from the "well of liberty", there is no turning back now. I sure would not want to be walking around in Iraq without a purple finger.
i predict the arab non-democracies will hold saddam type elections where you vote for those in power "or else".
I wonder how long it took to eliminate the German insurgence in WWII. Was there a British insurgence after the Revolutionary war?