The following editorial appeared in the Dallas Morning News on Tuesday, Feb. 15.
The votes have been counted. And here’s the most productive way to look at Iraq’s elections, where the Shiite party won 48 percent, a Kurdish alliance finished second with 26 percent, and the U.S.-backed party finished third at 14 percent.
The election of a Shiite government isn’t exactly what the United States had in mind.
When President Bush talked about democracy sweeping the Middle East, probably few Americans envisioned an Iraqi government led by the same Islamic sect that runs repressive Iran.
Democracy is democracy.
You can’t guarantee winners. The Iraqis got what the Iraqis wanted. And that’s what an election is about.
Not all is lost.
The lack of a majority for any party will force compromise among Iraq’s factions. That in and of itself is good.
Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Institute is right when he says it’s remarkable we’re talking about power-sharing in the Middle East. Coalition governments aren’t the norm there.
Also, the Shiite leader in Iraq, the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, is not an incarnation of Iran’s late Ayatollah Khomeini. This cleric wants a secular government, although Islam would have a role in Iraq.
And don’t forget about the second-place Kurds. They are a fairly secular and independent bunch. The Kurds are highly unlikely to want any sort of link between Tehran and Baghdad, especially since many Kurds are not Shiite Muslims.
The fact that a coalition will lead Iraq could help produce a strong central government. Iraq needs a strong Baghdad to stave off a civil war over the next year.
The Jan. 30 election is not the last time voters will go to the polls.
The parliamentarians elected last month were selected to write a constitution, not lead the country for several years.
Iraqis return this fall to ratify or reject the proposed constitution. And they will vote by Dec. 15 on a new parliament and government for the next five years.
America’s candidates may have lost, but these results don’t mean Iraq’s gone over the edge.

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