What do Iraqis expect from the election?
There is no unified set of expectations. In the Kurdish zone, they still want independence. In the Shia zone, their expectations run from achieving political domination to fostering national compromise. Some Shia are more concerned about control in the southern part of Iraq than in the country as a whole. A majority of Sunnis are frightened by the Shia and the Kurds. Their voting is an attempt to limit the power of the Kurds and the Shia. Those Sunnis who support the insurgency expect nothing from the elections. There is a group that sees themselves as Iraqi — rather than Shia, Kurd or Sunni — and hope for national unity. We have no public opinion polls that are reliable. But looking at historical data, it looks like 10 to 15 percent see themselves as “Iraqis.” What does America expect from these elections? The American people really do not understand the issues at stake. The political debate in the U.S. has been focused on our troops, not the election. The American government hopes th
