![Iraqi security forces wait in line to vote, outside a polling station in Basra, 420 km (261 miles) southeast of Baghdad April 13, 2013. Members of the Iraqi security forces head to polling stations on Saturday in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces to cast their ballot in the 2013 provincial council election. REUTERS/Atef Hassan (IRAQ - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS MILITARY) - RTXYK1F](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/04/RTXYK1F.jpg/RTXYK1F.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=c7wso6Ve)
Bushra Al Mudhafar is a writer and journalist from Baghdad working in both Iraqi and Arab media. After working as a broadcast journalist for an international television station, she now works for a local channel. She has also worked for international organizations including IWPR, and has published political reports in a variety of media.
![Iraqi security forces wait in line to vote, outside a polling station in Basra, 420 km (261 miles) southeast of Baghdad April 13, 2013. Members of the Iraqi security forces head to polling stations on Saturday in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces to cast their ballot in the 2013 provincial council election. REUTERS/Atef Hassan (IRAQ - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS MILITARY) - RTXYK1F](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/04/RTXYK1F.jpg/RTXYK1F.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=c7wso6Ve)
![Sunni Muslims shout slogans during an anti-government demonstration in Falluja, 50 km (31 miles) west of Baghdad, March 15, 2013. Thousands of Sunni Muslims protested after Friday prayers in huge rallies against Shi'ite Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, demanding that he step down. The signs read, "We are coming, Baghdad". REUTERS/Mohanned Faisal (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3F11P](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/03/1-RTR3F11P-1.jpg/1-RTR3F11P-1.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=eYsgAHvA)
![Bushra Al Mudhafar](https://www.al-monitor.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/authors/Bushra.jpg/Bushra.jpg?h=55541bb6&itok=F221_gkm)
Bushra Al Mudhafar
![BAGHDAD, IRAQ - JULY 21: An Iraqi girl begs drivers for money at an intersection on July 21, 2011 in Baghdad, Iraq. While a recent United Nations report saw a significant potential for economic growth in Iraq, the current poverty rate is around 23% of the population. As the deadline for the departure of the remaining American forces in Iraq approaches, Iraqi politicians have been increasingly pressured to give a final decision about extending the mandate for a small U.S. military presence beyond the end of](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/03/119495834.jpg/119495834.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=_xsVtk4J)
![Bushra Al Mudhafar](https://www.al-monitor.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/authors/Bushra.jpg/Bushra.jpg?h=55541bb6&itok=F221_gkm)
Bushra Al Mudhafar
![Iraqi Kurdish regional President Masoud Barzani (R) welcomes Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr at Arbil's airport, about 350 km (220 miles) north of Baghdad April 26, 2012. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3194S](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/02/RTR3194S.jpg/RTR3194S.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=SvCL3Dcs)
![Bushra Al Mudhafar](https://www.al-monitor.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/authors/Bushra.jpg/Bushra.jpg?h=55541bb6&itok=F221_gkm)
Bushra Al Mudhafar