The election in 2012 should be a clear mandate from the voters on whether the United States is going to become a theocratic dictatorship or remain a sectarian democracy as originally conceived.
As I have long said, we will retain a transitional force to carry out three distinct functions: training, equipping, and advising Iraqi security forces as long as they remain non-sectarian; conducting targeted counter-terrorism missions; and protecting our ongoing civilian and military efforts within Iraq.
Northern Ireland's oldest problem has not yet been laid to rest: sectarian tensions are quieter but remain, and anti-Britishness is still acceptable among former IRA supporters.
However, the level of overall violence, including attacks on and casualties among civilians, remains high; Iraq's sectarian groups remain unreconciled; AQI retains the ability to conduct high-profile attacks; and to date, Iraqi political leaders remain unable to govern effectively.
The sectarian chasms remain deep, the wounds of strife raw.
Despite the cabinet's formation, sectarian tensions remain a serious concern here.
As a report by the ICG notes, "Under Musharraf, Zia's Islamisation measures, the primary source of religious extremism and sectarian conflicts remain virtually untouched".
In a world where sectarian divisions remain as potent as ever, I'd have thought that was a point well worth making.
The concrete walls and armed checkpoints, put up during the American occupation at the height of the sectarian violence, remain in place.
But sectarian tensions remain high and the UN has warned that the exodus of the Seleka has left Muslim civilians vulnerable to retaliatory attacks by Christian militiamen.
