An Observation on Iraq’s Election

Iraq has carried off another successful election. We don’t know what the results are yet, but all indications are that the election represents another step forward for Iraq’s nascent democracy. News stories have emphasized the 38 Iraqis who were killed in terrorist attacks over the course of the day. Reprehensible and tragic, without a doubt. But this comparison comes to mind: approximately 69 people were killed by Iran’s government in the aftermath of the “election” there last year. That’s tragic, too, but the stories are like night and day: the same sorts of people were doing the killing, but in Iraq, as a futile effort to stop a nation from progressing beyond barbarism, and in Iran, as a so-far-successful effort to maintain similar barbarians in power. It would be perverse not to take pride in the success of our efforts in Iraq, so far.