Iraqi Draft Constitution

[Aenlic]

It doesn't matter what's in the proposed constitution at this time. The issue of federalism is going to cause the Sunni's to vote it down. If the Kurds and Shiites try to pass it anyway, there will be even worse violence. Another issue is the sharing of oil revenues. Almost all of Iraq's oil is located in Shiite and Kurd provinces, leaving the Sunni minority out in the cold on that issue as well.

As for the inclusion of the passage regarding the Shari-ah, Islamic law. The constitution, as proposed, states that Islamic law will be the basis for all Iraqi law and that no Iraqi law may violate Islamic law. It would give power to a "council" of Islamic clerics to determine if a proposed law is in accordance with the Shari-ah. That doesn't bode well for women's rights and non-Islamic minority rights under the proposed system, considering the power of the Shiites and their ties to another Islamic Republic in the region - Iran. As it currently is written, the Iraqi constitution creates an Islamic state not very different from Iran.

Now that we've dispensed with the "freedom and democracy" portion of the current raison d'jour for invading Iraq, what is the reason going to be now? "We invaded Iraq to get rid of Saddam and create a repressive Islamic regime" doesn't quite have the same ring to it as "bringing freedom and democracy to the oppressed people of Iraq."

Edit: Marcellus beat me to it, I'm just more verbose and pedantic about the whle issue.