Big news from Iraq this week (and US Democrazy is not talking about The Hurt Locker winning best picture).

Iraq, last weekend, held its national election for parliament.

How did the election go?  Despite threats of violence, car bombings, and other risks estimates show that voter turnout was around 62% (a respectable amount about equal to America’s turnout for the 2008 Presidential election).

As seen in the video above, President Obama has called the election “an important milestone in Iraqi history.”

Some pundits are calling the elections a HUGE success.  Marc Lynch, of Foreign Policy, notes that this year’s election was protected by Iraqi security forces, not the US Army, and that

The election campaign (as opposed to the results, which we still don’t know) showed clearly that Iraqis are determined to seize control of their own future and make their own decisions.

Writing for The National, Nir Rosen agrees, noting that

regardless of the outcome, the elections will not precipitate a return to the civil war. The state is too strong, and there is no longer a security vacuum in Iraq.

…

The framework in which Iraqis address existential issues is now the political arena.

Michael Hastings, over at The Daily Beast, has a darker take on the Iraqi election wondering if the winner may become the new Saddam, or a victim to a rival’s coup, as

the presence of all the different armed factions almost ensures continued violence for years to come—therefore, the quickest way to stop the violence is to lock up, kick out, or kill your enemies.

The blog Musings on Iraq provides examples of flaws in Iraq’s democracy, such as lack of due process in the justice system, but notes:

That doesn’t mean that Iraq cannot eventually establish a working democratic system, but that claims that it has already arrived are premature, and that it will be a long and arduous process that can see reversals, and even be cut short.

Whose outlook on Iraq is correct?  Only time will tell (although feel free to speculate in our comments section) as election results come out and the real messy business of running a national government falls into the hands of the newly elected.