To me, Iraq has always been tenuously held together as a single sovereign country. It has been plagued with civil war since the invasion began on March 19, 2003. President Bush and Vice President Cheney never recognized the demographics of the country for what it was. The potential of division of the country into Provinces always existed and still does. The question as to the 'fate' of the control by the Maliki government is not for the USA to decide. When the Iraqi people vote it hopefully it will reflect the will of the Iraqi people to continue with the government as it stands today, or to move into other dynamics that will allow for greater autonomy of provinces.
I wish the Iraqi people great success in plotting the future course of their country.
Campaign posters in Baghdad. The Baqouba bomb hit days before elections to decide who runs Iraq after the US pulls out. Photograph: Ali Haider/EPA
At least 30 dead in Iraq triple suicide bombing (click title to entry - thank you)
Election preparations overshadowed as provincial capital hit by deadliest attack for weeks
Election preparations overshadowed as provincial capital hit by deadliest attack for weeks
Wednesday 3 March 2010 10.22 GMT
A string of three deadly suicide bombings in Iraq killed at least 30 people in the former insurgent stronghold of Baqouba today, including an attack in which the bomber rode in an ambulance with the wounded before blowing himself up at a hospital, police said.
The bombings – Iraq's deadliest in weeks – come as the country is preparing for elections on Sunday that will decide who will oversee the country as US forces go home and help determine whether Iraq can overcome the deep sectarian tensions that have divided the country since the 2003 American-led invasion.
US and Iraqi officials have warned repeatedly that insurgents were expected to launch such attacks in an attempt to disrupt the vote.
A police spokesman, Captain Ghalib al-Karkhi, said the blasts struck in quick succession and wounded another 40 people in Baqouba, a provincial capital 35 miles north-east of Baghdad....
The bombings – Iraq's deadliest in weeks – come as the country is preparing for elections on Sunday that will decide who will oversee the country as US forces go home and help determine whether Iraq can overcome the deep sectarian tensions that have divided the country since the 2003 American-led invasion.
US and Iraqi officials have warned repeatedly that insurgents were expected to launch such attacks in an attempt to disrupt the vote.
A police spokesman, Captain Ghalib al-Karkhi, said the blasts struck in quick succession and wounded another 40 people in Baqouba, a provincial capital 35 miles north-east of Baghdad....
