Iraq is going to be just fine (Mark Steyn's pearls of wisdom)

In Europe, the wise old foreign-policy ''realists'' scoff at today's elections in Iraq -- Islam and democracy are completely incompatible, old boy; everybody knows that, except these naive blundering Yanks who just don't have our experience, frankly.

If that's true, it's a problem not for Iraq this weekend but, given current demographic trends, for France and Belgium and Holland a year or two down the line.

But, as it happens, it's not true. The Afghan election worked so well that, there being insufficient bad news out of it, the doom-mongers in the Western media pretended it never happened. They'll have a harder job doing that with Iraq, so instead they'll have to play up every roadside bomb and every dead poll worker. But it won't alter the basic reality: that today's election will be imperfect but more than good enough. OK, that's a bit vague by the standards of my usual psephological predictions, so how about this? Turnout in the Kurdish north and Shia south will be higher than in the last American, British or Canadian elections. Legitimate enough for ya?

But look beyond the numbers. When you consider the behavior of the Shia and Kurdish parties, they've been remarkably shrewd, restrained and responsible. They don't want to blow their big rendezvous with history and rejoin the rest of the Middle East in the fetid swamp of stable despotism. The naysayers in the Democratic Party and the U.S. media are so obsessed with Rumsfeld getting this wrong and Condi getting that wrong and Bush getting everything wrong that they've failed to notice just how surefooted both the Kurds and Shiites have been -- which in the end is far more important. The latter, for example, have adopted a moderate secular pitch entirely different from their co-religionist mullahs over the border. In fact, as partisan pols go, they sound a lot less loopy than, say, Barbara Boxer. Even on the Sunni side of the street, there are signs the smarter fellows understand their plans to destroy the election have flopped and it's time to cut themselves into the picture. The IMF noted in November that the Iraqi economy is already outperforming all its Arab neighbors.

You might not have gained that impression from watching CNN or reading the Los Angeles Times. The Western press are all holed up in the same part of Baghdad, and the insurgents very conveniently set off bombs visible from their hotel windows in perfect synchronization with the U.S. TV news cycle. But, if they could look beyond the plumes of smoke, they'd see that Iraq's going to be better than OK, that it will be the economic powerhouse of the region, and that the various small nods toward democracy going on in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and elsewhere suggest that the Arab world has figured out what the foreign policy ''realists'' haven't: that the trend is in the Bush direction. When Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab League, warned that the U.S. invasion of Iraq would ''destabilize'' the entire region, he was right. That's why it was such a great idea.

The ''realpolitik'' types spent so long worshipping at the altar of stability they were unable to see it was a cult for psychos. The geopolitical scene is never stable, it's always dynamic. If the Western world decides in 2005 that it can ''contain'' President Sy Kottik of Wackistan indefinitely, that doesn't mean the relationship between the two parties is set in aspic. Wackistan has a higher birth rate than the West, so after 40 years of ''stability'' there are a lot more Wackistanis and a lot fewer Frenchmen. And Wackistan has immense oil reserves, and President Kottik has used the wealth of those oil reserves to fund radical schools and mosques in hitherto moderate parts of the Muslim world. And cheap air travel and the Internet and ATM machines that take every bank card on the planet and the freelancing of nuclear technology mean that Wackistan's problems are no longer confined to Wackistan. For a few hundred bucks, they can be outside the Empire State Building within seven hours. Nothing stands still. ''Stability'' is a fancy term to dignify laziness and complacency as sophistication.

If you want a good example of excessive deference to the established order, look no further than Iraq. I'm often asked about the scale of the insurgency and doesn't this prove we armchair warriors vastly underestimated things, etc. I usually reply that, if you rummage through the archives, you'll find that I wanted the liberation of Iraq to occur before the end of August 2002. The bulk of the military were already in place, sitting in the Kuwaiti desert twiddling their thumbs. But Bush was prevailed upon to go ''the extra mile'' at the United Nations mainly for the sake of Tony Blair, and thanks to the machinations of Chirac, Schroeder and Co., the extra mile wound up being the scenic route through six months of diplomatic gridlock while Washington gamely auditioned any casus belli that might win the favor of the president of Guinea's witch doctor. As we know, all that happened during that period was that the hitherto fringe ''peace'' movement vastly expanded and annexed most of the Democratic Party.

Given all that went on in America, Britain, France, etc., during the interminable ''extra mile,'' it would be idiotic to assume that, with an almighty invasion force squatting on his borders for six months, Saddam just sat there listening to his Sinatra LPs. He was very busy, as were the Islamists, and Iran, and Syria.

The result is not only an insurgency far more virulent than it would have been had Washington followed my advice rather than Tony's and gone in in August 2002, but also a broader range of enemies that learned a lot about how ''world'' -- i.e., European -- opinion could be played off against Washington.

I don't believe Bush would make that mistake again. Which means he wouldn't have spoken quite so loudly if the big stick weren't already in place -- if plans weren't well advanced for dealing with Iran and some of the low-hanging fruit elsewhere in the region. Bush won't abolish all global tyranny by 2008 -- that might have to wait till Condi's second term -- but he will abolish some of it, and today's elections are as important in that struggle as any military victory.

Testify Marky baby!!! It's all good. And the elections are a success, since we banned all traffic for the day. No car bombs means more turnout by brave Iraqis. My hat's off to the Iraqi people

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An Iraqi Army soldier guards a polling station in a vehicle with a sign which reads in Arabic, ' No terrorism after today' in Mosul January 30, 2005. Iraq 's first multiparty polls in half a century began at dawn on Sunday, elections intended to unite the country but which could instead foment sectarian strife and which insurgents have vowed to turn into a bloodbath. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
Reuters - 11 minutes ago
Thousands of Iraqis make a pilgrimage to the polling station in Al Alamara, Iraq , January 30, 2005, as the country holds its first elections. Iraqi officials hope for a turnout of at least 50 percent to lend legitimacy to the outcome. Officials expect preliminary results in six to seven days and final results in about 10 days. REUTERS/James Vellacott/Pool
Reuters - 10 minutes ago
Iraqi Army soldiers guard a polling station as a voters enter to cast their vote in Mosul January 30, 2005 . Iraq 's first multiparty polls in half a century began at dawn on Sunday, elections intended to unite the country but which could instead foment sectarian strife and which insurgents have vowed to turn into a bloodbath. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
Reuters - 12 minutes ago
An Iraqi man shows his dye-stained finger -- signifying he has voted - at a polling station in Basra, southern Iraq , January 30, 2005, as the country holds its first elections. REUTERS/Toby Melville
Reuters - 17 minutes ago
An Iraqi veiled woman her right index finger stained with blue ink and small banner 'Elect Iraq ' after she casting her vote in Amman polling station Januray 30 2005. Thousands of Iraqis voted abroad Sunday as their compatriots at home braved bombs and threats to go the polls in the first multi-party election in 50 years. REUTERS/Ali Jarekji
Reuters - 17 minutes ago
British Police look on as demonsrators protest against the voting for the Iraq elections, which is taking place at the London voting centre in Wembley, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005. Protesters from several groups held demonstrations against the elections urging Iraqis to boycott the vote. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
AP - 13 minutes ago
An Iraqi Shi'ite woman chants a prayer as she walks out of a polling station after casting her vote in eastern Baghdad, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Ali Jasim
Reuters - 44 minutes ago
A crowd of Iraqi women wait at the entrance of a polling station waiting to vote in their country's national election, in the holy city of Najaf, January 30, 2005. Insurgents bent on wrecking Iraq 's historic election killed two people in a string of bomb and mortar attacks across the country Sunday soon after voting began in the first multi-party ballot in half a century. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber
Reuters - 52 minutes ago
An Iraqi voter raises his hands after casting his ballot in national elections in Baghdad January 30, 2005. Insurgents bent on wrecking Iraq 's historic election killed two people in a string of bomb and mortar attacks across the country Sunday soon after voting began in the first multi-party ballot in half a century. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz
Reuters - 52 minutes ago
An Iraqi police officer checks a donkey, pulling a disabled man on a cart, before allowing it to enter a polling station in the country's second largest city of Basra, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Atef Hassan
Reuters - 50 minutes ago
An Iraqi elderly woman registers her name in a polling station in the holy city of Najaf, January 30, 2005. Insurgents threatening an election day bloodbath killed at least 22 people on Sunday in a string of bombings and mortar attacks on polling stations in Iraq 's first multi-party ballot in half a century. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber
Reuters - 47 minutes ago
An Iraqi man raises his arms to be searched before entering a polling station to vote in national elections in Baghdad January 30, 2005. Insurgents bent on wrecking Iraq 's historic election killed two people in a string of bomb and mortar attacks across the country Sunday soon after voting began in the first multi-party ballot in half a century. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz
Reuters - 52 minutes ago
An Iraqi woman cries tears of joy after casting her vote, outside a polling station in the holy city of Najaf, January 30, 2005. Insurgents threatening an election day bloodbath killed at least 22 people Sunday in a string of bombings and mortar attacks on polling stations in Iraq 's first multi-party ballot in half a century. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber
Reuters - 48 minutes ago
An Iraqi woman studies her ballot as she votes in national elections in Baghdad January 30, 2005. Iraq 's first multiparty polls in half a century began at dawn on Sunday, elections intended to unite the country but which could instead foment sectarian strife and which insurgents have vowed to turn into a bloodbath. REUTERS/Akram Saleh
Reuters - 52 minutes ago
U.S. Army soldiers secure a street after a suicide bomber blew himself up near a polling station in Baghdad January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz
Reuters - 46 minutes ago
Iraqi Shi'ite women wait in a queue to cast their votes outside a polling station in the holy city of Najaf, January 30, 2005. Insurgents bent on wrecking Iraq 's historic election killed two people in a string of bomb and mortar attacks across the country Sunday soon after voting began in the first multi-party ballot in half a century. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber
Reuters - 52 minutes ago
An Iraqi crippled man marks his ballot paper while sitting on a donkey cart inside a polling station in the country's second largest city of Basra, January 30, 2005. Insurgents threatening an election day bloodbath killed at least 22 people on Sunday in a string of bombings and mortar attacks on polling stations in Iraq 's first multi-party ballot in half a century. REUTERS/Atef Hassan
Reuters - 47 minutes ago
An Iraqi Army soldier stands guard outside a polling station in Baghdad January 30, 2005. Iraq 's first multiparty polls in half a century began at dawn on Sunday, elections intended to unite the country but which could instead foment sectarian strife and which insurgents have vowed to turn into a bloodbath. REUTERS/Akram Saleh
Reuters - 48 minutes ago
A voter holds her ID as she arrives at a polling station in Sadr City, Baghdad. Arab nations anxiously awaited the results of the first post-Saddam Hussein election in Iraq to see whether it will mark the first step on the road to democracy ... or the start of civil war.(AFP/Sabah Arar)
AFP - 47 minutes ago
A crippled Iraqi woman, sitting in a wheelchair, casts her vote in a polling station in the southern city of Basra, January 30, 2005. Insurgents threatening an election day bloodbath killed at least 22 people on Sunday in a string of bombings and mortar attacks on polling stations in Iraq 's first multi-party ballot in half a century. REUTERS/Atef Hassan
Reuters - 57 minutes ago
Iraqi Kurds gather outside a polling station waiting to vote in the northern city of Suleimaniya, January 30, 2005. Insurgents threatening an election day bloodbath killed at least 22 people on Sunday in a string of bombings and mortar attacks on polling stations in Iraq 's first multi-party ballot in half a century. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily
Reuters - 56 minutes ago
Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani casts his vote in Salahaddin, northern Iraq . Iraqi Kurds flocked to polling stations in northern Iraq to take part in elections they hope will herald a new era for their long-oppressed community.(AFP/Mustafa Ozer)
AFP - 57 minutes ago
Iraqis wait in a queue to cast their votes in their country's national elections outside a polling station in Iraq 's second largest city of Basra, January 30, 2005. Insurgents bent on wrecking Iraq's historic election killed two people in a string of bomb and mortar attacks across the country Sunday soon after voting began in the first multi-party ballot in half a century. REUTERS/Atef Hassan
Reuters - 53 minutes ago
Iraqi Shi'ite women line up to participate in their country's national elections, outside a polling station in the holy city of Najaf, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Ali Abu Shish
Reuters - 55 minutes ago
Iraqis wait in line to cast their votes outside a polling station in the country's second largest city of Basra, January 30, 2005. Insurgents bent on wrecking Iraq 's historic election killed two people in a string of bomb and mortar attacks across the country Sunday soon after voting began in the first multi-party ballot in half a century. REUTERS/Atef Hassan
Reuters - 54 minutes ago
An Iraqi voter shows his inked finger after casting his ballot in national elections in Baghdad January 30, 2005. Insurgents bent on wrecking Iraq 's historic election killed two people in a string of bomb and mortar attacks across the country Sunday soon after voting began in the first multi-party ballot in half a century. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz
Reuters - 53 minutes ago
An Iraqi woman dips her finger in ink before casting her vote in al-Batool polling station in eastern Baghdad, January 30, 2005. Insurgents threatening an election day bloodbath killed at least 22 people on Sunday in a string of bombings and mortar attacks on polling stations in Iraq 's first multi-party ballot in half a century. REUTERS/Ali Jasim
Reuters - 54 minutes ago
An Iraqi Shi'ite woman, wearing an Islamic Hijab, casts her vote at a polling station in Iraq 's second largest city of Basra, January 30, 2005. A suicide bomber killed at least six people in a queue outside a polling station in eastern Baghdad on Sunday, in the sixth suicide attack on voting centres in the capital during the election, a government official said. At least 13 people have been killed in the suicide attacks. Five of them were attacks by suicide bombers on foot and one was a suicide car bomb. REUTERS/Atef Hassan
Reuters - 55 minutes ago
An Iraqi woman cries tears of joy after casting her vote, outside a polling station in the holy city of Najaf, Jan. 30, 2005. Insurgents threatening an election day bloodbath killed at least 22 people Sunday in a string of bombings and mortar attacks on polling stations in Iraq 's first multi-party ballot in half a century. (Faleh Kheiber/Reuters)
Reuters - 1 hour, 6 minutes ago
Iraqi Shi'ite women wait in line to cast their votes at a polling station in the holy city of Najaf, Jan. 30, 2005. Insurgents threatening an election day bloodbath killed at least 22 people on Sunday in a string of bombings and mortar attacks on polling stations in Iraq 's first multi-party ballot in half a century. Photo by Faleh Kheiber/Reuters
Reuters - 1 hour, 9 minutes ago
An Iraqi girl looks out of the womens queue at a school polling station in the At Maeel area of Basra, southern Iraq Sunday Jan. 30, 2005, as the country holds its first elections. Iraqi officials hope for a turnout of at least 50 percent to lend legitimacy to the outcome. Officials expect preliminary results in six to seven days and final results in about 10 days. (AP Photo/Toby Melville, Pool)
AP - 1 hour, 23 minutes ago
Sadiga Glany, aged 75, shows her dye stained finger - signifying she has voted - in Basra, southern Iraq , Sunday Jan. 30, 2005, as the country holds its first elections. Iraqi officials hope for a turnout of at least 50 percent to lend legitimacy to the outcome. Officials expect preliminary results in six to seven days and final results in about 10 days. (AP Photo/Toby Melville, Pool)
AP - 1 hour, 20 minutes ago
Iraqi women wait to enter a polling station in Najaf, some 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005. Text on the Iraqi flag reads 'vote Iraq '. Iraqis turned out to vote Sunday in their country's first free election in a half-century, defying insurgents who launched deadly suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations. By midday, at least 29 people were dead but the violence had slowed and voting picked up. (AP Photo/Alla al-Marjani)
AP - 1 hour, 20 minutes ago
ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY - Iraqi police and U.S. Army soldiers examine the scene after a suicide bomber blew himself up near a polling station in Baghdad January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz
Reuters - 1 hour, 23 minutes ago
An Iraqi man uses a wheelchair to reach a polling station in Baghdad, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005 where Iraqis are lining up to vote in their country's first free election in a half-century. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
AP - 1 hour, 30 minutes ago
An election official moves ballot papers - his ink dyed finger signifying he has voted - in Basra, southern Iraq , Sunday Jan. 30, 2005, as the country holds its first elections. Iraqi officials hope for a turnout of at least 50 percent to lend legitimacy to the outcome. Officials expect preliminary results in six to seven days and final results in about 10 days.(AP Photo/Toby Melville, Pool)
AP - 1 hour, 25 minutes ago
Iraqi women line up outside a polling station in the northern Kurdish city of Suleimaniya, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Patrick Baz/Pool
Reuters - 1 hour, 39 minutes ago
Iraqi's approach an Iraqi Army soldier wrapped in an Iraqi flag on their way to a polling station in Baghdad, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005 where Iraqis are lining up to vote in their country's first free election in a half-century. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
AP - 1 hour, 38 minutes ago
After all car movements were prohibited, thousands of Iraqis make a trip on foot to the town of Al Alamara, Iraq , watched by British troops, to place their votes Sunday, Jan. 30 2005. Iraqis turned out to vote Sunday in their country's first free election in a half-century, defying insurgents who launched deadly suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations. By midday, at least 29 people were dead but the violence had slowed and voting picked up.(AP Photo / Daily Mirror/James Vellacott /Pool)
AP - 1 hour, 48 minutes ago
After all car movements were prohibited, thousands of Iraqis make a trip on foot to the town of Al Alamara, Iraq , watched by British troops, to place their votes Sunday, Jan. 30 2005. Iraqis turned out to vote Sunday in their country's first free election in a half-century, defying insurgents who launched deadly suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations. By midday, at least 29 people were dead but the violence had slowed and voting picked up.(AP Photo / Daily Mirror/James Vellacott /Pool)
AP - 1 hour, 48 minutes ago
After all car movements were prohibited, thousands of Iraqis make a trip on foot to the town of Al Alamara, Iraq , to place their votes Sunday, Jan. 30 2005. Iraqis turned out to vote Sunday in their country's first free election in a half-century, defying insurgents who launched deadly suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations. By midday, at least 29 people were dead but the violence had slowed and voting picked up.(AP Photo / Daily Mirror/James Vellacott /Pool)
AP - 1 hour, 48 minutes ago
Disabled Iraqi man Mohammed Karim Khader, 80, is carried on the back of another man on his way to cast his vote in the northern Kurdish city of Suleimaniya, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Patrick Baz/Pool
Reuters - 1 hour, 44 minutes ago
Iraqi Shi'ite men smile as they show their registration forms, while waiting to cast their votes at a polling station in the holy city of Najaf, January 30, 2005.Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber
Reuters - 1 hour, 56 minutes ago
Iraqi women cast their votes in a polling station in the country's second largest city of Basra, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Atef Hassan
Reuters - 1 hour, 49 minutes ago
Iraqi men mark their ballots behind voting booths in polling station in the southern city of Diwaniya, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Jafar Sadiq
Reuters - 1 hour, 50 minutes ago
A British soldier from 3 Company Welsh Guards, stands watch with an Iraqi police officer as thousands of Iraqis make a trip on foot to the town of Al Alamara, Iraq , to place their votes Sunday, Jan. 30 2005. Iraqis turned out to vote Sunday in their country's first free election in a half-century, defying insurgents who launched deadly suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations. By midday, at least 29 people were dead but the violence had slowed and voting picked up.(AP Photo / Daily Mirror/James Vellacott /Pool)
AP - 1 hour, 54 minutes ago
Iraqi boys play with a soccer ball as all traffic is banned on the streets of Baghdad, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005 while Iraqis walk to vote in their country's first free election in a half-century. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
AP - 1 hour, 55 minutes ago
An Iraqi police officer (L) and an Army soldier take positions at a polling station after it came under attack in eastern Baghdad, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Ali Jasim
Reuters - 1 hour, 55 minutes ago
After all car movements were prohibited, thousands of Iraqis make a trip on foot to the town of Al Alamara, Iraq , to place their votes Sunday, Jan. 30 2005. Iraqis turned out to vote Sunday in their country's first free election in a half-century, defying insurgents who launched deadly suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations. By midday, at least 29 people were dead but the violence had slowed and voting picked up.(AP Photo / Daily Mirror/James Vellacott /Pool)
AP - 1 hour, 56 minutes ago
A British soldier from 3 Company Welsh Guards, watches as Iraqis make a trip on foot to the town of Al Alamara, Iraq , to place their votes Sunday, Jan. 30 2005. Iraqis turned out to vote Sunday in their country's first free election in a half-century, defying insurgents who launched deadly suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations. By midday, at least 29 people were dead but the violence had slowed and voting picked up.(AP Photo / Daily Mirror/James Vellacott /Pool)
AP - 1 hour, 52 minutes ago
An Iraqi woman with her daughter casts her ballot at a polling station in Amman, Jordan, Sunday Jan. 30, 2005. As people in Iraq defied insurgent threats and voted Sunday in their country's first independent election in five decades. Iraqis living in Jordan streamed into polling stations to cast their ballots in the last day of overseas voting.(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
AP - 2 hours, 2 minutes ago
Iraqi women stand in a queue as they wait to cast their votes at a polling station in the holy city of Najaf, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country.REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber
Reuters - 2 hours, 0 minute ago
An Iraqi disabled man arrives at a polling station on a donkey cart to cast his vote in the country's second largest city of Basra, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Atef Hassan
Reuters - 2 hours, 3 minutes ago
An Iraqi man guides his elderly father as they walk to a nearby polling station in the southern city of Diwaniya, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Jafar Sadiq
Reuters - 1 hour, 58 minutes ago
A Kurdish Iraqi woman casts her vote at a polling station in the northern Kurdish city of Suleimaniya January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Patrick Baz/Pool
Reuters - 2 hours, 6 minutes ago
An Iraqi woman checks her ballot papers after voting at a polling station in Baghdad, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005 where Iraqis are lining up to vote in their country's first free election in a half-century. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
AP - 2 hours, 12 minutes ago
Election billboards of Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi posted on a bus carrying Iraqi voters to a polling station in Amman, Jordan, Sunday Jan. 30, 2005. As people in Iraq defied insurgent threats and voted Sunday in their country's first independent election in five decades, Iraqis living in Jordan streamed into polling stations to cast their ballots in the last day of overseas voting. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
AP - 2 hours, 11 minutes ago
Iraqis receive voting instructions at a polling station in the holy city of Najaf, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber
Reuters - 2 hours, 17 minutes ago
Iraqis hold up copies of their voting registrations as they celebrate their participation in the country's national elections in the holy city of Najaf, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber
Reuters - 2 hours, 18 minutes ago
Fatima Barzani casts her ballot at a polling station for the Iraqi elections in downtown Erbil, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30. 2005. She and her mother-in-law are 'Anfal Women' - widows and daughters of 8,000 Barzani men reportedly killed by Saddam Hussein during the 1980's. Kurds in scores attended the election in the hope of gaining a significant voice in the interim Iraqi Parliament. (AP Photo/Sasa Kralj)
AP - 2 hours, 20 minutes ago
An Iraqi Army soldier stands guard near a queue of Iraqi men waiting to cast their votes outside a polling station in the holy city of Najaf, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber
Reuters - 2 hours, 19 minutes ago
Iraqi's line up to vote outside a polling station in Baghdad January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz
Reuters - 2 hours, 13 minutes ago
Iraqi women arrive at a polling station to cast their vote in Mosul January 30, 2005 . Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
Reuters - 2 hours, 14 minutes ago
An Iraqi security officer reacts at a polling station after it came under attack in eastern Baghdad, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Ali Jasim
Reuters - 2 hours, 25 minutes ago
30-year-old Fatima Barzani followed by her mother in law, queue to cast their ballots for the Iraqi elections at a polling station in downtown Erbil, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30. 2005. They are 'Anfal Women' - widows and daughters of 8,000 Barzani men reportedly killed by Saddam Hussein during the 1980's. Kurds in scores attended the election in the hope of gaining a significant voice in the interim Iraqi Parliament. (AP Photo / Sasa Kralj)
AP - 2 hours, 21 minutes ago
Election official assists 65 year old Salha Omar with election ink as she casts her ballot at a polling station in downtown Erbil, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30. 2005. She and daughter-in-law are 'Anfal Women' - widows and daughters of 8,000 Barzani men reportedly killed by Saddam Hussein during the 1980's. Kurds in scores attended the election in the hope of gaining a significant voice in the interim Iraqi Parliament. (AP Photo/Sasa Kralj)
AP - 2 hours, 25 minutes ago
Iraqi voters take cover following an attack against the polling station where in eastern Baghdad, January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens in suicide bombings and mortar strikes at polling stations across the country.. REUTERS/Ali Jasim
Reuters - 2 hours, 22 minutes ago
An Iraqi woman raises her arms during security check while queuing to vote in the national polls in Al Anbar province 23 kilometres west of Baghdad,Iraq January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Erik de Castro
Reuters - 2 hours, 34 minutes ago
An Iraqi villager raises his arms during security check while queuing to vote for the national polls in Al Anbar province 23 kilometres west of Baghdad,Iraq January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Erik de Castro
Reuters - 2 hours, 31 minutes ago
An Iraqi Army soldier searches a voter before allowing him to enter a polling station in Mosul January 30, 2005 . Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq 's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
Reuters - 2 hours, 30 minutes ago
An Iraqi election worker waits for more voters to arrive in the early morning hours at a polling station in Baghdad, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005. Iraqis are voting in their country's first free election in a half-century. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
AP - 2 hours, 34 minutes ago
A member of Iraqi National Guard inspects the bag of a villager queuing to vote in the national polls in a polling precinct in Al Anbar province 23 kilometres west of Baghdad,Iraq January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Erik de Castro
Reuters - 2 hours, 42 minutes ago
Iraqi villagers queue to vote in the national polls in a polling precinct in Al Anbar province 23 kilometres west of Baghdad,Iraq January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Erik de Castro
Reuters - 2 hours, 44 minutes ago
A U.S. marines stand on guard near Iraqis queuing to vote in the national polls in a polling precinct in Al Anbar province 23 kilometres west of Baghdad,Iraq January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Erik de Castro
Reuters - 2 hours, 40 minutes ago
A U.S. marines stand on guard near Iraqis queuing to vote in the national polls in a polling precinct in Al Anbar province 23 kilometres west of Baghdad,Iraq January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Erik de Castro
Reuters - 2 hours, 37 minutes ago
Iraqi villagers walk to a voting precinct to vote in the national polls in Al Anbar province 23 kilometres west of Baghdad,Iraq January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Erik de Castro
Reuters - 2 hours, 39 minutes ago
An Iraqi woman holds an election information pamphlet while queuing to vote in the national polls in a polling precinct in Al Anbar province 23 kilometres west of Baghdad,Iraq January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Erik de Castro
Reuters - 2 hours, 37 minutes ago
U.S. marines assist an Iraqi woman voting in the national polls in a polling precinct in Al Anbar province 23 kilometres west of Baghdad,Iraq January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Erik de Castro
Reuters - 2 hours, 42 minutes ago
Iraqi villagers queue to vote in the national polls in a polling precinct in Al Anbar province 23 kilometres west of Baghdad,Iraq January 30, 2005. A suicide bomber strapped with explosives killed two policemen in the latest attack on polling centres during Sunday's election, police sources said. At least eight suicide bombs exploded outside Baghdad polling stations, killing at least 19 people. Seven of the suicide bombers walked up to the voting stations on foot and one used a car bomb. REUTERS/Erik de Castro
Reuters - 2 hours, 46 minutes ago
Iraqi election workers wait for early morning for voters to arrive to their polling station in Baghdad, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005. Iraqis are voting in their country's first free election in a half-century. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
AP - 2 hours, 53 minutes ago
Iraqi women queue to vote for the national polls in a polling precinct in Al Anbar province 23 kilometres west of Baghdad,Iraq January 30, 2005. Insurgents unleashed a wave of bloody attacks on Iraq's historic election on Sunday, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens at polling stations across the country. REUTERS/Erik de Castro
Reuters - 2 hours, 45 minutes ago
Iraqi women receive ballot papers in a polling station in Baghdad, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005 where Iraqis are lining up to vote in their country's first free election in a half-century. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
AP - Jan 30 2:23 AM
An Iraqi villager raises his arms to show he's not armed during security check while queueing to vote for the national polls in Al Anbar province 23 kilometres west of Baghdad,Iraq January 30, 2005. A suicide bomber strapped with explosives killed two policemen in the latest attack on polling centres during Sunday's election, police sources said. At least eight suicide bombs exploded outside Baghdad polling stations, killing at least 19 people. Seven of the suicide bombers walked up to the voting stations on foot and one used a car bomb. REUTERS/Erik de Castro
Reuters - Jan 30 2:09 AM
Election officials advise which finger to dip in the election ink to 93 year old Ajsa Rasul Haras and her son, at the polling station in downtown Erbil, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30. 2005. Kurds in scores attended elections in a hope of gaining a significant voice in the interim Iraqi Parliament. (AP Photo/Sasa Kralj)
AP - Jan 30 2:14 AM
An Iraqi family approaches a US Army checkpoint on their way to a polling station in Baghdad, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005 where Iraqis are lining up to vote in their country's first free election in a half-century. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
AP - Jan 30 2:16 AM
Iraqi women queue to vote for the national polls in a polling precinct in Al Anbar province 23 kilometres west of Baghdad,Iraq January 30, 2005. A suicide bomber strapped with explosives killed two policemen in the latest attack on polling centres during Sunday's election, police sources said. At least eight suicide bombs exploded outside Baghdad polling stations, killing at least 19 people. Seven of the suicide bombers walked up to the voting stations on foot and one used a car bomb REUTERS/Erik de Castro
Reuters - Jan 30 2:11 AM
An Iraqi women hold election information pamphlets while queuing to vote for the national polls in a polling precinct in Al Anbar province 23 kilometres west of Baghdad,Iraq January 30, 2005. A suicide bomber strapped with explosives killed two policemen in the latest attack on polling centres during Sunday's election, police sources said. At least eight suicide bombs exploded outside Baghdad polling stations, killing at least 19 people. Seven of the suicide bombers walked up to the voting stations on foot and one used a car bomb. REUTERS/Erik de Castro
Reuters - Jan 30 2:14 AM
Election officials advise which finger to dip in the election ink to 93 year old Ajsa Rasul Haras and her son, at the polling station in downtown Erbil, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30. 2005. Kurds in scores attended elections in a hope of gaining a significant voice in the interim Iraqi Parliament. (AP Photo/Sasa Kralj)
AP - Jan 30 2:14 AM
A member Iraqi National Guard stand near villagers villagers queueing to vote for the national polls in a polling precinct in Al Anbar province 23 kilometres west of Baghdad,Iraq January 30, 2005. A suicide bomber strapped with explosives killed two policemen in the latest attack on polling centres during Sunday's election, police sources said. At least eight suicide bombs exploded outside Baghdad polling stations, killing at least 19 people. Seven of the suicide bombers walked up to the voting stations on foot and one used a car bomb. REUTERS/Erik de Castro
Reuters - Jan 30 2:10 AM
An Iraqi man and woman receive voting information at a polling station in Baghdad January 30, 2005. Iraq 's first multiparty polls in half a century began at dawn on Sunday, elections intended to unite the country but which could instead foment sectarian strife and which insurgents have vowed to turn into a bloodbath. REUTERS/Akram Saleh
Reuters - Jan 30 1:52 AM
An Iraqi elderly man casts his vote at a polling station in Iraq 's second largest city of Basra, January 30, 2005. A suicide bomber killed at least six people in a queue outside a polling station in eastern Baghdad on Sunday, in the sixth suicide attack on voting centres in the capital during the election, a government official said. At least 13 people have been killed in the suicide attacks. Five of them were attacks by suicide bombers on foot and one was a suicide car bomb. REUTERS/Atef Hassan
Reuters - Jan 30 1:38 AM
A Kurdish Iraqi woman casts her vote at a polling station in the northern Kurdish city of Suleimaniya, Sunday Jan. 30, 2005. Iraqi Kurds flocked to polling stations in northern Iraq to take part in elections they hope will herald a new era for their long-oppressed community. (AP Photo/Patrick Baz, Pool)
AP - Jan 30 1:39 AM
Iraqi women line up outside a polling station in the northern Kurdish city of Suleimaniya Sunday Jan. 30, 2005. Iraqi Kurds flocked to polling stations in northern Iraq to take part in elections they hope will herald a new era for their long-oppressed community. (AP Photo/Patrick Baz, Pool)
AP - Jan 30 1:37 AM
Disabled Mohammed Karim Khader, 80, is carried on the shoulder of a man on his way to cast his vote in the northern Kurdish city of Suleimaniya Sunday Jan. 30, 2005. Iraqi Kurds flocked to polling stations in northern Iraq to take part in elections they hope will herald a new era for their long-oppressed community.(AP Photo/Patrick Baz, Pool)
AP - Jan 30 1:38 AM
An Iraqi Army soldier checks Iraqi female voters outside a polling station in Baghdad, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005 where Iraqis are lining up to vote in their country's first free election in a half-century. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
AP - Jan 30 1:42 AM
Omar Fatah , the Prime Minister of the Suleimaniya Kurdish autonomous province, addresses reporters in Suleimaniya, Sunday Jan. 30, 2005. Iraqi Kurds flocked to polling stations in northern Iraq to take part in elections they hope will herald a new era for their long-oppressed community. (AP Photo/Patrick Baz, Pool)
AP - Jan 30 1:42 AM
Head of the security in Iraq 's Kurdistan, Dana Ahmad Majid, casts his vote at a polling station in the northern Kurdish city of Suleimaniya, Sunday Jan. 30, 2005. Iraqi Kurds flocked to polling stations in northern Iraq to take part in elections they hope will herald a new era for their long-oppressed community. (AP Photo/Patrick Baz, Pool)
AP - Jan 30 1:41 AM
An Iraqi woman raises her arms during a security check outside a polling station in the center of Baghdad, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005 where Iraqis are lining up to vote in their country's first free election in a half-century. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
AP - Jan 30 1:43 AM
An Iraqi Army soldier checks a baby as it arrives with his father and brother to a polling station in Baghdad, Iraq , Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005 where Iraqis are lining up to vote in their country's first free election in a half-century. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
AP - Jan 30 1:30 AM
Shiite cleric and leader of the key Shiite political organization, the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq , Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim, accompanied by his daughter, far left, casts his vote in the Iraqi elections in Baghdad, Iraq Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
AP - Jan 30 1:27 AM

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