Iraq's future

It must be said that Iraq's domestic politics are fundamentally different than those in Afghanistan due to the colonial delineations that left Iraq the multifactional construct it is today, BUT, the politics of an indigenous led government under occupation are similar.

The WaPo has a large front page story on the falling star of Hamid Karzai as the government of Afghanistan heads towards irrelevance.

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 25 -- Many Afghans and some foreign supporters say they are losing faith in President Hamid Karzai's government, which is besieged by an escalating insurgency and endemic corruption and is unable to protect or administer large areas of the country.....

"There is an awful feeling that everything is lurching downward," said a Western diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "Nearly five years on, there is no rule of law, no accountability. The Afghans know it is all a charade, and they see us as not only complicit but actively involved. You cannot fight a terror war and build a weak state at the same time, and it was a terrible mistake to think we could."

How far is this from a possible future for Iraq? If the Iraqi government is unable to address the main concerns of the Iraqi people, increasing security and restoring basic services, what legitimacy would remain?

The one significant difference is that the Iraqi constitution constructs a parliamentary system where no confidence votes could remove the head of government, and create an endless period of transition.