The election in Iraq, though flawed, is terrific news. Any time a people get to use the ballot box instead of guns to make history, they, and the rest of the world, benefit immensely.
That more than 60% of those eligible are estimated to have voted despite the dreadful conditions in war-torn Iraq is a testament to the enormous courage humans so often display under extreme duress.
It appears, too, that the election will be something of a rebuke to those who preach a toxic blend of fundamentalism and nihilist violence, as was the case in last month's Palestinian election. But the test now, in both occupied regions, is whether the will of the voters will be allowed to be more than a symbolic gesture.
It is hard to imagine how the Kurdish and Shiite parties are going to finesse the fact that the Sunni religious minority that ruled Iraq off and on for centuries largely boycotted the election.
Yet, if the newly elected leaders can smartly wield real democratic power for the common good, it could be a major step toward a stable and legitimate Iraq. It would be hopelessly naive, however, to believe that the agenda of those elected will mesh smoothly with that of the occupiers, or do much to dampen the insurgency.
Very preliminary reports indicate that Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani's United Iraqi Alliance may have garnered a majority of the votes cast. This empowers the Iranian-born and Tehran-backed Shiite religious and political leader, who has been very firm on wanting an accelerated timeline for a U.S. withdrawal. And an Abu Dhabi TV/Zogby poll conducted two days before the election makes clear that he speaks for the citizenry on this: About 82% of Sunnis and 69% of Shiites want the U.S. military to leave "either immediately or after an elected government is in place."
One can quibble as to how fast they want that to happen, but there can be no doubt that the Iraqi election results are a historic victory for a posture of self-determination rather than subservience. Make no mistake: A clear victory for Sistani does not fit the White House neoconservatives' blueprint for creating a more pliable Middle East.
