PURPLE PROOF - A Ramadi resident smiles while looking at his dyed purple finger, proof that he voted, during national parliamentary elections in Iraq, March 7, 2010. The man is walking with six women and another man, all of whom voted. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeodNow The Hard Part For Iraq - And The US -- Charles McDermid, Asia Times
SULI, Iraqi Kurdistan - At about the same moment on Sunday when United States President Barack Obama was in the White House Rose Garden praising a relatively peaceful voting day in Iraq, revelers in this northern city were blasting handguns and Kalashnikovs into the sky, often from speeding vehicles, in their own show of happiness for a day that will be a defining event for the nation, and Obama.
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COMMENTARIES, OPINIONS, AND EDITORIALS
After Iraq's election, the real fight -- Meghan O'Sullivan, Washington Post
Once again, a nation walks through fire to give the West its 'democracy' -- Robert Fisk, The Independent
Neighbours eye Iraq elections -- Sam Sasan Shoamanesh, Al Jazeera/AFP
Endgame in Iraq -- Washington Post editorial
Mideastern war fears are never hollow -- Shlomo Ben-Ami, Daily Star
Lebanon, at peace, braces for war -- Doyle McManus, L.A. Times
Iran’s Ace (or Deuce): Its Oil Reserves -- Jan Mouawad, New York Times
A sober approach to sanctioning Iran -- David Ignatius, Washington Post
Turkey and the Army -- New York Times editorial
Bad things happen when empires fall apart (Turkey) -- Norman Stone, Times Online
A Peace Grows in Colombia -- Vanessa Neumann, Weekly Standard
