 If Iraq was a ship one might be saying at this stage: "Unsteady as she goes."The ship of the Iraqi state has a course set for constitutional government, leading, it is hoped, to stable and democratic rule in a unified country. Whether it will reach that destination is still unclear, though what is certain is that the waters are rough. The biggest plus as one looks ahead is that elections for the new assembly - the Council of Representatives as it is to be called - produced a 70% turnout with no boycott by the Sunnis. The American view is that elections are like a magic wand and produce their own beneficial effect. This may be so but elections have to produce viable governments. An election in El Salvador in 1982 went off well in terms of numbers but the civil war there went on for another decade. If it took 10 years to pacify Iraq, it might not be so bad in terms of time historically, but in terms of casualties it would be tragic. ...
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Editor - 08:59:00 12-29-05
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 Insurgents slay 11 Shiite family members in Iraq U.S. airstrike leaves 10 suspects dead; bomber in police uniform kills 4 |
| Six assailants broke into a house just south of Baghdad on Thursday and killed 11 members of the same Shiite family by slitting their throats, police said.Meantime, the U.S. military said U.S. fighter jets drop.. full News |
Editor - 08:55:00 12-29-05
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| China Says 300M Drink Unsafe Water |
| About 300 million people living in China's vast countryside drink unsafe water tainted by chemicals and other contaminants, the government said Thursday in its latest acknowledgment of mounting risks from wides.. full News |
Editor - 08:52:00 12-29-05
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| Bomber kills 3 at W.Bank checkpoint |
| A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up when Israeli troops tried to search him at a roadblock in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, killing an Israeli soldier and two other Palestinians. A passenger who .. full News |
Editor - 08:49:00 12-29-05
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| Audit: Many September 11 loans went to non-victims |
| In a program to help businesses after September 11, a high percentage of government-backed loans went to recipients who appeared to be unqualified -- some of them unaware they were receiving terrorism-recovery .. full News |
Editor - 08:47:00 12-29-05
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| Communities Shunning FEMA Trailers |
| Four months after Hurricane Katrina, efforts by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to place displaced victims into trailers are being hindered by communities balking at hosting such trailers, reports CBS N.. full News |
Editor - 08:45:00 12-29-05
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| post The Good, The Bad and The Ugly |
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