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View Full Version : Next in Iraq: Coalition-Building



SWJED
12-18-2005, 09:51 PM
19 Dec. Christian Science Monitor - Next in Iraq: Coalition-Building (http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1219/p01s02-woiq.html).


With a remarkably calm day at the ballot box behind them, Iraqis have begun the far less placid process of tallying up which group emerges as the biggest bloc - and with the clout to chart the country's course for the next four years.

The new government, when it is formed - it took politicians three months after January's vote to agree on a coalition - will immediately face monumental challenges including finalizing a constitution, building up Iraqi security forces able to replace US troops fighting the insurgency, and managing reconstruction projects that have generally been American-run affairs.

The next government, which looks likely to be headed by many of the same Shiite leaders who have been at the helm of the interim government, will also confront the need to prove that it can represent all Iraqis, not just sectarian interests...