Obviously wishful thinking on the part of the author.
The mere fact elections are occurring and we now see Sunni's joining the political process indicates things are moving along towards, generally, a negotiated solution (although obviously, there's no negotiating with the Al-Queda wingnuts).
An independent poll of Iraqi's released earlier in the week is interesting reading, conducted by the BBC and other news organizations, since it tells you what Iraqi's think which seem to contradict the thoughts of one Pepe Escobar in the Asia Times.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...st/4514414.stm
Sunni's turn to the ballot box in Tikrit, Saddam's hometown as reported in the anti-Bush paper, the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/14/in.../14tikrit.html
As I've said before, the Americans are winning in spite of themselves, to a great extent because the disjointed insurgency is more incompetent than they are.
As we get into 2006, the predictable drawdown of USA forces will begin in earnest, probably reaching 50,000 to 75,000 fewer than there are there now (160,000 I believe) by the time we see USA congressional elections in November.
The end game issue is whether or not we see 50,000 Americans still in Iraq, in out of the way bases, five years from now . . . . as per Korea, Japan and recently, Germany. Or whether they're gone altogether ala the evacuation of Saudi Arabia a few years ago.
And whether or not these elections are followed up by the next ones. People are fond of pointing out Hitler got elected in 1933 . . . . but he never faced the second ballot.
And for good measure, a poll of Afghani's released the previous week:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/...ory?id=1363276
Cowperson