Which is ONE of the couple dozen reasons why it was necessary to reset things in Iraq after 9-11.
It is true however that IN ORDER to change Afghanistan, one has to change Pakistan. And changing Pakistan would could turn the Pakistan/India economy into the new Japan. But that is a really complex set of machinery to put in place.
Iraq is a self-standing entity. It already had a modern bureaucracy (for all its problems then and now). Unlike, say, the West Bank, you don't have to simultaneously solve a half-dozen problems that are totally out of any single entity's control to significantly turn it around. For several reasons, it was an ideal Middle Eastern battlefield to defeat AQ.
I believe Iraq has already started changing the region. I think the protests in Iran would never have happened without the meaningful elections taking place in Iraq for the last 5 years.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A car bomb struck a busy market in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing 100 people — mostly women and children
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091..._as/
as_pakistan
Apparently,the Taliban had complained to local merchants about women shopping. The holy warriors sent Peshawar a clear message today. Women should stay home and make babies. Women and children shopping for food will be blown up. The Quran clearly states that hungry women and children are infidels,right Dolly?
Well, despite all the "progress" in Iraq, there are still fundamental issues that are yet to be solved. It is now 6 years after the U.S invasion and we still don't have a set date to hold our elections. The elections are supposed to be held on January 16th and they are stalling it. Iraq is still under a dictator (Maliki) who has slowed down the process of rebuilding Iraq. We also still have a constitution that appreciates the Islamic Sharia and abides by it. We still have a politicized army. And we don't have electricity and running water for the whole populations. These are issues that Iraqis hoped to have solved a year or two after the invasion and we were wrong.
Anand,I need a good curry recipe.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/
20091...us_cancer_curry
Ali, I am hoping the next elections will be fair and the Iraqi people will elect more secular politicians.
But will that really happen? will Iraqis really look at a candidate's political programs instead of religion or sect?
If my own relatives' comments are any indication, I think they will. Some Iraqis will continue to vote for Da3wa and the religious types, but I think many more will vote for secular technocrats.
Maury, many Indians just add a little Turmeric in the oil before they satee anything. 
Commenting by HaloScan
