I haven?t made the trip over to see what Sam has to say on Hammorabi in a while. He has a wonderful post on the signing of the Iraqi interim Constitution which he entitled United States of Iraq. There is much to digest in his post, and I wish everyone would take a look at it. And don?t forget to check the comments.
I have always felt a states system and representation based on geography would be the best way for democracy to take hold in Iraq. Historically, people in that region base their politics, and virtually everything else, on tribal or religious sect identification. The only way I can see to eliminate the chances of internecine warfare is by a geography-based electoral process similar to what we have here in the US. The big state-small state issue is resolved somewhat by having the Congress membership selected in different ways.
Also, term limits are something for them to consider. In Mexico, where everyone is limited to a single 6-year term, politicians work hard to get all they can for themselves while they can. Here, the lack of term limits keeps a politician class employed. There is some middle ground, but will have to be defined within the Iraqi cultural bounds. Jefferson was disappointed the Constitution didn?t include term limits, especially for President. Fortunately, we had a man of tremendous stature and integrity as our first, and he set the standard. I can only hope Iraq will be as fortunate.