March 2nd, 2009 by Cecile

An editorial in today’s CSM discusses the need to focus on two significant issues in light of Obama’s announcement on troop withdrawal: control over Kirkuk and control of oil reserves. If these issues are not resolved, “Iraq could exploded over Kirkuk and oil.” It was argued that Maliki “has not used his growing political strength to reconcile with ethnic Kurds” but “compromises are possible, such as trade of oil rights for political control of Kirkuk.”

Meanwhile, on a more positive note, Michael Allen at Democracy Digest highlights the key role Iraqi civil society played in the recent provincial elections, citing the relative lack of violence and gains by non-sectarian secular candidates as evidence. There were numerous organizations involved in election monitoring and get-out-the-vote campaigns.

Posted in Elections, Iraq, Kurds, Secularism |