A HUGE STEP

For the first time in the country's history the Iraqis has had the chance to participate in democratic elections. And despite threats of terrorism, and indeed acts, about 60% of them took that chance and voted.

It is certainly true that the election wasn't managed perfectly, nor that everyone had an equal oppurtunity to vote, but the election went well under the circumstances and should be considered a huge step forward on the journey towards a truly free and democratic Arab nation. For things to keep moving in the right direction, however, it is imperative that the Iraqis aren't abandoned by the West. The US forced must stay until the Iraqis can uphold an acceptable level of security for it's citizens - in fact, the number of troops probably need to grow. And Europe should help out - despite what opinion one had about the decision to go to war in the first place, it lies in our interests - and it is our moral responsibility - to do what we can to make sure that the Iraqis will be a land of free people, not having to bow to terrorists.

So what will happen now? It's difficult to say, of course, and we'll have to wait and see to find out how the new government will look. But I think that we can expect increased efforts from the terrorists. They know that if they want to avoid democracy, and if they want to keep unproportionate Sunni power, they have to make sure that the Iraqis never get to see the great advantages of democracy. It's our job to make sure they fail. Comment this article

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