Amir Taheri Iraq

"What is now certain is that neither Jihadism, in its many varieties, nor pan-Arabism (in any of its sinister versions), enjoys a popular base in Iraq. The overwhelming majority of Iraqis want to move as far away from despotism as possible, and know they can sort out their differences via elections rather than violence, let alone the civil war that so many of Iraq's enemies have predicted and prayed for since its liberation 30 months ago.

This does not mean that Iraq is out of the woods. The real fight over the future of Iraqi politics is about to begin. Almost all Shiites and Kurds, plus a majority of Arab Sunnis, have reached a consensus on the rules of the game — but each community is divided when it comes to its vision of the new Iraq."