Iraq: Perspectives on the Candidates’ Reinstatement

As the ruling to disqualify 500-plus Iraqi candidates from the upcoming March 7 election was overturned today, many are starting to write about what this means for U.S. foreign policy efforts as well as domestic politics in Iraq.

Marc Lynch blogs today that the biggest up-side of these candidates’ reinstatement is for the Obama administration, which he suggests successfully used strategic U.S. foreign policy in order to push for the reinstatement without overly interfering in Iraq’s political affairs. “This appears to be a job well done by Obama’s Iraq team, in a difficult and very sensitive context.” Still, Lynch warns, “this doesn’t mean that all is now rosy.” He argues that the elections may still not produce “meaningful change” and that Iraqis, Americans and the international community “should be proactive about avoiding problems such as those which hamstrung the recent Afghan elections (or even the Iranian election or the 2005 Iraqi election).”

While Democracy Arsenal‘s Wahid Hanna agrees that we “should not aim to micromanage internal Iraqi affairs” he writes today that the lack of U.S. preparedness for events like this is “troubling.” He argues that as the United States moves forward in creating constructive U.S.-Iraqi relations, that American “understanding of Iraqi political political dynamics” is crucial.

Max Boot writes in today’s Commentary and seems to be very optimistic about the implications of the candidates being reinstated into the election. He argues it is “yet another sign that – despite the concerns of many pessimists – Iraq is not ‘unravelling.’ In fact, its nascent democracy continues to lurch forward, notwithstanding terrorist atrocities…”