Put More Pressure on Iraq to Form Government

As the United States withdrew its combat forces from Iraq in August, the stage was set for Iraq to take responsibility and move forward as a country. One of the concerns the international community had was how secure Iraq would be after Us forces left. Although there have been sporadic violent outbursts, overall, the security in Iraq has been sustained by both the Iraqi army and the remaining Us troops. However, Iraqi politicians have not done their part in forming a government. I do agree that Iraq needs to form a government themselves, but the seven month deadlock has demonstrated the need for the Us and others to put more pressure on Iraq to establish a government.

The political vacuum hurts every aspect of Iraq: international relations, economy, security, day to day life, the dinar and the country's morale. Which political bloc or shape has authority to make decisions? Iraq needs to have a definitive representative to promote its interests abroad. The lack of political leadership makes some foreign investors wary of how their investments will be protected. The Iraqi army can only do so much to voice order, a strong government needs to be in place to set the direction of the country, especially in Iraq as politics fuel much of the violence. In addition, Iraq's infrastructure is lacking to say the least - electricity is still unreliable in many parts of Iraq. All of these factors conduce to a low morale within the country, which could be the last straw to set Iraq into a downward spiral.

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A clear morale is necessary in Iraq. After the chaos that followed the toppling of Saddam's regime, followed by seven years of war, the Iraqi citizens have been through a lot, to say the least. As the March elections approached, many Iraqis had a sense of hope, but had a good dose of skepticism. The current political impasse has only exacerbated the skepticism and the Iraqi people need to see progress. Where is the new government? Where is the electricity? Where is the improved quality of life? Iraq as a country has put itself in a great economic position by auctioning off oil contracts and attracting a good estimate of foreign investments (although not as much as it could), but these events have yet to trickle down to the Iraqi citizens as it will take time for these opportunities to actualize. The Iraqi people deserve more than this. They participated in a democratic choosing - a novel opinion for this Iraqi generation - and the Iraqi politicians must comprehend the gravity of this moment. This inaction has stalled Iraq's progress. Although Iraq is ultimately responsible for establishing their own government, this does not mean that the international community should stand back and merely watch this debacle.

The United States, neighboring Middle Eastern countries and the international community as a whole must apply even more pressure on Iraq to form a government. Iraq must be reminded of, first and foremost, the people that they are serving. Iraqi politicians are still being paid while this deadlock persists - a paid vacation! They should be required to see how the midpoint Iraqi people who voted for them are living. Also, Iraq needs to comprehend what it is missing out on, politically and economically, while this political vacuum. Iraq is a very nationalistic country and its ineptitude in producing strong leaders that can guide a country back to prominence should be embarrassing. Iraq has a lot of lose right now, but so do the United States and the global community as a whole. It's about time they all started acting like it.

Put More Pressure on Iraq to Form Government

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