Clarion Content

The Iraqi parliament finally passed a law scheduling elections for January 31, 2009. The Clarion warned previously that elections would not be held this year, and that shortly after elections were eventually scheduled sectarian violence in Iraq would again spike. We are afraid of both of our predictions being accurate, but sadly elections are the prize the factions will fight most fiercely over, would that those fights only take place at the polls with the levers of the voting booths. Unfortunately, actual fighting appears far more likely, especially because the Iraqi lawmakers did not even address the issue of elections in four disputed provinces, three in the Kurdish autonomous region, and Tamim province, of which Kirkuk is the capital.

Can the American military enforce calm on a deeply divided, heavily armed, tense population? Will there be a fight for the levers and spoils of power?

Labels: Middle East, war