Iraq's Elections—Prelude to Dissolution or Last Chance at Nation-Building?

Despite its rejection by Sunni Arabs, Iraqi voters recently approved a constitution that paves the way for December s parliamentary elections. Four main slates based primarily on ethnic/sectarian identity are running candidates. Meanwhile, inflamed sectarian violence threatens the democratic process and the proposed federal model. If such trends continue, Iraq will likely see further violence and instability, which would have serious regional consequences and could strengthen separatist sentiment.

To examine these critical dynamics, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Open Society Institute convened a roundtable discussion at CSIS, "Iraq's Elections: Prelude to Dissolution or Last Chance at Nation-Building?" Speakers included:

• Eleana Gordon, Senior Vice President of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies;
• Morton Halperin, OSI Director of U.S. Advocacy;
• Yahia Said, Director of OSI s Iraq Revenue Watch and Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Global Governance at the London School of Economics.

The discussion was be moderated by Jon B. Alterman, Director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.