"Kamran Bokhari, chief Middle East analyst for the private intelligence firm Stratfor, says ethnic and sectarian identity is still a key determinant in Iraqi political calculations.
"This is a situation in flux. Sure, people want better governance and we see every party sort of moving towards that. But at the end of the day there are concerns among the Shiites and the Sunnis and the Kurds regarding ethnicity," said Bokhari. "For the Sunnis, they have not seen themselves getting a fair share of the political pie in Baghdad. That means that they cannot just drop the sectarian card and say, 'Well, we are just going to look for good governance. Who is going to provide us good governance?' And, 'We are not going to look at the sectarian thing."
Sectarian and ethnic tensions were reinforced when a Shiite-dominated parliamentary committee disqualified 511 Sunni candidates for alleged connections to Sadaam Hussein's outlawed Baath party" VOA News
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I have come to the conclusion that with the exception of foreign agents, Americans are just too unsophisticated to deal with Middle Eastern affairs. We are easily bamboozled and the Canadians naifs would be even more so. It is appalling that so many are willing to accept the nonsense of the mindless and scheming, concerning the Iraqi "threat" to the US before 2003. I, and many other colleagues, disassembled Iraq's nuclear program after the first Gulf War. There was no WMD threat in 2003. Now, the mindless await a return to power and a return to a boundless aggression in pursuit of the goals of foreigners.
What will happen after this election is a continuation of Shia rule under a government that seeks Iranian approval and that continues to oppress the Sunni Kurds and Arabs. That will result in a rising tide of resistance with foreign assistance, including ours once useful idiots like Odierno leave.
His appointment to another four star post awaits him. pl
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Elections-Put-Postwar-Iraq-at-Pivotal-Political-Moment-86389917.html