No guarantee for democracy

At roughly 62 percent, participation in the parliamentary elections in Iraq was higher than expected. But it's still too early to celebrate a victory for constitutional democracy, writes the Neue Zürcher Zeitung: "Along with the Americans and their allies, Iraq's direct neighbours Turkey, Syria and Iran are all unscrupulously pursuing their own interests in Iraq, with immediate consequences for the country. ... It is imaginable that after the withdrawal of the last American troops from Iraq reconstruction will progress and - from a purely external point of view - the country will modernise rapidly. It's also possible that the country's security forces which now count almost a million police officers and soldiers will bring peace and order to the country, thanks to adequate salaries financed by oil profits. But will they also introduce the rule of law? According to The Economist, the US spent 800 billion dollars in Irak in the last seven years - without a single guarantee."

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