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Iraq Plays Politics with Security As Elections Approach

Iraqi politicians treat security as an electoral matter, while security disintegrates throughout the country.
Iraqi security forces and people stand at the site of a car bomb attack in Basra, 420 km (261 miles) southeast of Baghdad, October 13, 2013.  A series of bombs killed at least ten people in mostly Shi'ite Muslim provinces of Iraq on Sunday ahead of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha, police and medical sources said.  REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CRIME LAW) - RTX149QD
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There comes a time when we must pause and re-evaluate all that has transpired. Iraq, in its entirety has been transformed into a ballot box. There remain no moral or human deterrents that prevent the conversion of Iraqi life into an electoral issue, into a win or a loss, a victory or a defeat.

But wait — this is no democracy. Nations possess rules and historic moral frameworks that prevent them from gambling with the security, future, unity and harmony of their societies. In Iraq, however, things are completely different. Daily scenes of bloodshed, destruction and threats to people’s lives leave no doubt that the ongoing events all figure into mere electoral gambling.

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