How the U.S. Can Help Iraq

In his speech announcing the impending end of the combat mission in Iraq last week, President Barack Obama proudly emphasized America's adherence to the timeline for withdrawal from Iraq and the transition to a civilian-led mission in the country. But the political stalemate in Baghdad suggests that more is needed. It is now five months since parliamentary elections in Iraq produced a fragmented result, with the largest number of parliamentary seats going to a Sunni-backed list led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi but almost as many seats and the most personal preference votes going to incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Neither Maliki nor Allawi has been able to assemble a parliamentary majority, much less the two-thirds needed first to elect the President.