ballot285_1
Image

American voters communicated a clear message to the Bush administration in the November 2006 elections: withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq as soon as possible. Should a Democratic candidate be elected president this coming November, he or she would almost certainly draw down U.S. forces in Iraq as a prelude to complete withdrawal. Another Republican president, facing political pressure and the high cost of continued military involvement in Iraq, would probably do much the same. Facing this reality, Iraqi leaders should seriously consider adopting a federal system of government to replace their current political structure, a weak unitary state.

Three different structures for Iraq are under discussion: a unitary state, complete partition and a federal system. The Bush administration, most academic specialists and the bipartisan This article appears in March 3 2008.