By a few indicators at least, Sunday’s national elections in Iraq went fairly well. Although several dozen civilians were killed and many Iraqis stayed home out of fear of attacks on voting booths and disgust with their new, largely distrusted political class, the predicted surge of violence meant to scare away voters did not materialise. Unlike in the 2005 elections, calls for a boycott within the Sunni community did not overshadow the process.
In fact, reports indicate that turnout was strong, a testament to the resilience and courage of a population that has successively suffered the most brutal dictatorship in the Arab world, a traumatic occupation and civil war with sectarian overtones that tore apart its neighbourhoods and its social fabric. The gradual build-up of Iraq’s security institutions also had something to do with the relative quiet: almost one million policemen and soldiers are now deployed in the streets, a number that suffocates the insurgency and ensures loyalty through patronage.
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