An unqualified cheer for the election in Iraq!

[rmnunez]

People misread the Irano-Iraqi Shia ties, all indications are the Iraqis are much more secular. The Iranians have even been attacking Shia shrine to provoke confrontations with the Sunni. Its likely a secular and inclusive representative government in Iraq would be a model for the Iranian opposition to ayatollaism.

[RickSp]

Quote by: rmnunez People misread the Irano-Iraqi Shia ties, all indications are the Iraqis are much more secular. The Iranians have even been attacking Shia shrine to provoke confrontations with the Sunni. Its likely a secular and inclusive representative government in Iraq would be a model for the Iranian opposition to ayatollaism.

I largely agree. (Scary huh?) The Iraqi Shia tend to be a more conservative branch of Shi'ism, which in this case means more secular than the Iranian radicals. (Sistani is a Twelver, waiting for the arrival of the Mahdi, the Twelveth Imam. Until the arrival of the Mahid the role of the church is spirtual and not political.) That being said Al Sadr is more from the Khomeini mold. Of the two Sistani has the far stonger base. Only time will tell how radical the new Shia power base becomes.

[Gorgo]

Interesting article on the Iraqi elections:

http://www.counterpunch.com/lindorff02022005.html