Elections in Iraq

by Evan Delgado
The situation in Iraq has been escalating for years. In an effort to “stabilize” the Middle East , the US has attempted instituting a democratic government system, engaging terrorist groups and factions, and training police forces to continue their efforts after they have withdrawn. Over the years, the idea of a new democratic government has been thrown around, but not until now has the prospect seemed so close.
Bombs and mortar shells exploded through Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 40 people and wounding dozens more, as Iraqis, attempted to cast their ballots in crucial national elections. Unlike the national elections in 2005, when U.S. military vehicles patrolled Baghdad, only Iraqi army and police guarded the city Sunday. They were unable to prevent insurgents from launching their attacks, which appeared to prevent many potential voters from casting their ballots. The elections are considered a crucial milestone for the U.S. military, which plans to withdraw all its combat troops -- 50,000 of them -- from Iraq by the end of August. By electing their own parliamentary system, the country will be taking a huge step towards equality and progress. About 6,200 candidates from more than 80 political entities are vying for seats. At least a quarter of the positions -- 82 -- are guaranteed to go to women, and eight more have been allocated for minorities. They include five set aside for Christians and one each for the Shabak, Sabaeans, and Yazidis. Polls in Iraq to elect a 325-member parliament closed Sunday night, ending an electoral process in which militants intent on preventing the vote carried out dozens of attacks that killed 38 people and injured many others. Despite the obvious threats, hopeful people still came out to cast their vote.
The subject of our involvement in the Middle East is very controversial, but it seems that this election could be the beginning of the end. “I personally think that extracting troops is a good idea. It will save many lives and we won't have to see all the pictures and articles in the newspapers explaining how soldiers have died in a bombing...etc. Our media is full of depressing stuff enough as it is!” said freshman Keith Harmel. Perhaps sometime in the near future, there will be stability in the Middle East, but it will be only through years of conflict and individual bravery.

by Evan Delgado
The situation in Iraq has been escalating for years. In an effort to “stabilize” the Middle East, the US [U.S.] has attempted instituting a democratic government system, engaging terrorist groups and factions, and training police forces to continue their efforts after they have withdrawn. Over the years, the idea of a new democratic government has been thrown around, but not until now has the prospect seemed so close.
Bombs and mortar shells exploded through Baghdad on Sunday [specific date], killing at least 40 people and wounding dozens more, as Iraqis, attempted to cast their ballots in crucial national elections. Unlike the national elections in 2005, when U.S. military vehicles patrolled Baghdad, only Iraqi army and police guarded the city Sunday [specific]. They were unable to prevent insurgents from launching their attacks, which appeared to prevent many potential voters from casting their ballots. The elections are considered a crucial milestone for the U.S. military, which plans to withdraw all its combat troops -- 50,000 of them -- from Iraq by the end of August. By electing their own parliamentary system, the country will be taking a huge step towards equality and progress. About 6,200 candidates from more than 80 political entities are vying for seats. At least a [one] quarter of the positions -- 82 -- are guaranteed to go to women, and eight more have been allocated for minorities. They include five set aside for Christians and one each for the Shabak, Sabaeans, and Yazidis. Polls in Iraq to elect a 325-member parliament closed Sunday [specific] night, ending an electoral process in which militants intent on preventing the vote carried out dozens of attacks that killed 38 people and injured many others. Despite the obvious threats, hopeful people still came out to cast their vote [votes].
The subject of our involvement in the Middle East is very controversial, but it seems that this election could be the beginning of the end. “I personally think that extracting troops is a good idea. It will save many lives and we won't have to see all the pictures and articles in the newspapers explaining how soldiers have died in a bombing...etc. Our media is full of depressing stuff enough as it is!” said freshman Keith Harmel. Perhaps sometime in the near future, there will be stability in the Middle East, but it will be only [only be] through years of conflict and individual bravery.

Crucial Elections in Iraq Blemished by Violence
by Evan Delgado, staff writer
The situation in Iraq has been escalating for years. In an effort to “stabilize” the Middle East, the U.S. has attempted instituting a democratic government system, engaging terrorist groups and factions, and training police forces to continue their efforts after they have withdrawn. Over the years, the idea of a new democratic government has been thrown around, but not until now has the prospect seemed so close. The elections themselves are controversial however. Knute Dale, a retired banker and Arcadia resident, said “Even if this election has been deemed to be successful, it will be difficult for the new government to provide the security the Iraqi people need, an effective relationship with the U.S., and provide basic services to the people, including water, electricity, sewer, and schooling for children.” As the day when the voting would begin rolled around, complications arose from warring factions within Iraq.
Bombs and mortar shells exploded through Baghdad on Sunday, March 7th, killing at least 40 people and wounding dozens more, as Iraqis, attempted to cast their ballots in crucial national elections. Unlike the national elections in 2005, when U.S. military vehicles patrolled Baghdad, only Iraqi army and police guarded the city Sunday. They were unable to prevent insurgents from launching their attacks, which appeared to prevent many potential voters from casting their ballots. The elections are considered a crucial milestone for the U.S. military, which plans to withdraw all its combat troops -- 50,000 of them -- from Iraq by the end of August. By electing their own parliamentary system, the country will be taking a huge step towards equality and progress. About 6,200 candidates from more than 80 political entities are vying for seats. At least one quarter of the positions -- 82 -- are guaranteed to go to women, and eight more have been allocated for minorities. They include five set aside for Christians and one each for the Shabak, Sabaeans, and Yazidis. Polls in Iraq to elect a 325-member parliament closed on the night of March 7th, ending an electoral process in which militants intent on preventing the vote carried out dozens of attacks that killed 38 people and injured many others. Even though the votes were cast, the future of the war-torn country is still uncertain at best, even calling into question whether the U.S. can truly rely on Iraq to uphold a democratic system while ensuring safety in the region. “Of course, a stable Iraq is not necessarily a “safe” Iraq from an American perspective, as evidenced by the gains of Al Sadr supporters in the recent elections. The US may have to resign itself to the fact that Iraq will never be a reliable ally for its goals in the Middle East,” said Princeton student Andrés Delgado. Despite the obvious threats, hopeful people still came out to cast their votes.
The subject of our involvement in the Middle East is very controversial, but it seems that this election could be the beginning of the end. “I personally think that extracting troops is a good idea. It will save many lives and we won't have to see all the pictures and articles in the newspapers explaining how soldiers have died in a bombing...etc. Our media is full of depressing stuff enough as it is!” said freshman Keith Harmel. Perhaps sometime in the near future, there will be stability in the Middle East, but it will only be through years of conflict and individual bravery.

Crucial Elections in Iraq Blemished by Violence
by Evan Delgado, staff writer
The situation in Iraq has been escalating for years. In an effort to “stabilize” the Middle East, the U.S. has attempted instituting a democratic government system, engaging terrorist groups and factions, and training police forces to continue their efforts after they have withdrawn. Over the years, the idea of a new democratic government has been thrown around, but not until now has the prospect seemed so close. The elections themselves are controversial however [The elections themselves are, however, controversial]. Knute Dale, a retired banker and Arcadia resident, said “Even if this election has been deemed to be successful, it will be difficult for the new government to provide the security the Iraqi people need, an effective relationship with the U.S., and provide basic services to the people, including water, electricity, sewer, and schooling for children.” As the day when the voting would begin rolled around, complications arose from warring factions within Iraq.
Bombs and mortar shells exploded through Baghdad on Sunday, March 7th [Mar. 7], killing at least 40 people and wounding dozens more, as Iraqis, attempted to cast their ballots in crucial national elections. Unlike the national elections in 2005, when U.S. military vehicles patrolled Baghdad, only Iraqi army and police guarded the city Sunday [that day]. They were unable to prevent insurgents from launching their attacks, which appeared to prevent many potential voters from casting their ballots. The elections are considered a crucial milestone for the U.S. military, which plans to withdraw all its combat troops -- 50,000 of them -- from Iraq by the end of August. By electing their own parliamentary system, the country will be taking a huge step towards equality and progress. About 6,200 candidates from more than 80 political entities are vying for seats. At least one quarter of the positions -- 82 -- are guaranteed to go to women, and eight more have been allocated for minorities. They include five set aside for Christians and one each for the Shabak, Sabaeans, and Yazidis. Polls in Iraq to elect a 325-member parliament closed on the night of March 7th [Mar. 7], ending an electoral process in which militants intent on preventing the vote carried out dozens of attacks that killed 38 people and injured many others. Even though the votes were cast, the future of the war-torn country is still uncertain at best, even calling into question whether the U.S. can truly rely on Iraq to uphold a democratic system while ensuring safety in the region. “Of course, a stable Iraq is not necessarily a “safe” Iraq from an American perspective, as evidenced by the gains of Al Sadr supporters in the recent elections. The US may have to resign itself to the fact that Iraq will never be a reliable ally for its goals in the Middle East,” said Princeton student [freshman] [insert "and AHS alumnus] Andrés Delgado. Despite the obvious threats, hopeful people still came out to cast their votes.
The subject of our involvement in the Middle East is very controversial, but it seems that this election could be the beginning of the end. “I personally think that extracting troops is a good idea. It will save many lives and we won't have to see all the pictures and articles in the newspapers explaining how soldiers have died in a bombing...etc. Our media is full of depressing stuff enough as it is!” said freshman Keith Harmel. Perhaps sometime in the near future, there will be stability in the Middle East, but it will only be through years of conflict and individual bravery.