It's been a really long time since I've written anything here, and I know that this is how I started almost every post on this blog. Perhaps if you do a count, it would be the thing I said the most! I figured it's never too late to do the same thing again...
Too many things have changed since I last wrote here. For instance, the US mission in Iraq is officially over, I know this is old news, but a lot has unraveled since that point. Perhaps the most noticeable thing is the gradual unity of the Iraqi political factions against Nouri Al-Maliki and his policies. Viewed by some as division and weakness in the Iraqi government, this could actually be the trigger for the most important turning point in Iraqi politics. If the Iraqi political powers did succeed in their quest of replacing Maliki, a new culture of caution and readiness that was much needed in 2003 might come to existence. Powers restricted to one person or group will be more carefully regulated if each of the groups remained strongly active in the government. This hyper activity has resulted in chaos and individual bribery over the years, but in this case, when utilized against a common target for a common goal; the same hyper activity can a blessing in disguise. The lack of trust between political factions might prosper into a future set of protocols that can put everything in its place. Albeit, the place for everything can be another status quo that politicians are happy about but citizens are not, such as a dictatorship or a rudimentary democracy, the status currently exhibited in Iraqi political function.
All that being said, it is also in circulation that Iraqis are no longer as enthusiastic about voting. This means that the turnover rate will gradually be scaled down to a new status quo with a few seasonal exceptions. This is the case in most if not all democratic states. With recent work done by the Iraqi government to increase political awareness among academic and professional circles, the political process might just keep moving. And it is definitely important to point out that despite wide pessimism, there will be a chance of reform so long as there are people in Iraq. We all know that the time of the one and only leader is over, but we don't know what will be there to replace it. Egypt and Iraq are at the most critical political state compared to the rest of the region. Although turmoil and change is all over the place, a certain level of political maturity is present strongly in Egypt and Iraq, and the politics of these two states within the next 5-10 years will determine a lot of what is to come.
On a different note, I've been working on a different kind of project. I'm currently building and developing a graphics and web design website that will probably be using up most of my time. I will, however, return to write on I Love You Iraq. If you would like to check out my new project and give me your insights, please go ahead and visit TortillaSoop.com.
Thank you for reading.
