While elite media agencies daisy-chain police blotters and end passive sentences about "violence" with the misleading phrase "across the country" for the sum of their above-fold reports on Iraq, Arthur Chrenkoff compiles news that best describes the nascent democracy's progress — news that just happens to be positive. Chrenkoff is thorough, though he has quite a lot to work with. The sheer volume of information on Iraq's liberalizing, modernizing and prospering economy, industry, education and civil society is enough to overwhelm the argument that gangsters shooting up bakeries have any control over events.
Notably, federalism — a clear separation of powers between central, provincial and local authorities — is quickly becoming as attractive to Iraq's Shiite political groups as it has long been for Kurds.
My commentary on universal principles of liberty has been respectfully criticized as "occasionally unjustifiable," especially for countries with no history of democratic "grassroots." Ba'athist Iraq, of course, was one of too many countries in the world suffering a near-complete absence of those grassroots. Yet, reflecting historical examples, we can see a developing bonanza. Laying natural rights of man as a foundation for governance, through the intervention and guidance of some form of temporary occupation, military or civilian, yields far better results than those nations left to trust the good intentions of a strongman minority.
As for optimism: even in the darkest of times, losing faith won't bring a sweeter end.