# Once Agains the Pessimists Are Wrong \[Iraq elections\]

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-agains-the-pessimists-are-wrong-iraq-elections/533987>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [March 27, 2010, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-agains-the-pessimists-are-wrong-iraq-elections/533987 "2010-03-27T03:34:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 8

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bannerrefugee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c68b51/32.png) [@bannerrefugee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bannerrefugee)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-agains-the-pessimists-are-wrong-iraq-elections/533987/141 "2010-04-20T10:27:13Z")

</div>

The poll in Baghdad will be recounted, and resoulution may take months.

[Here](http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/iraq-poll-result-in-doubt/story-e6frg6so-1225855739428)

Hey at least they get a recount

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-agains-the-pessimists-are-wrong-iraq-elections/533987/142 "2010-04-20T10:47:23Z")

</div>

> [@bannerrefugee](#):
>
> The poll in Baghdad will be recounted, and resoulution may take months.
> 
> [Here](http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/iraq-poll-result-in-doubt/story-e6frg6so-1225855739428)
> 
> Hey at least they get a recount

In both Iraq and Afghanistan we’ve seen that ‘elections’ are a three stage process:

1. Everyone strains their utmost to cheat their way to as big a ‘stake’ they can get away with.

2. Contest own and others stake by any available means.

3. Negotiate among selves for the spoils.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bannerrefugee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c68b51/32.png) [@bannerrefugee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bannerrefugee)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-agains-the-pessimists-are-wrong-iraq-elections/533987/143 "2010-04-20T11:25:06Z")

</div>

> [@tagos](#):
>
> In both Iraq and Afghanistan we’ve seen that ‘elections’ are a three stage process:
> 
> 1. Everyone strains their utmost to cheat their way to as big a ‘stake’ they can get away with.
> 
> 2. Contest own and others stake by any available means.
> 
> 3. Negotiate among selves for the spoils.

It is obvious the way “elections” are exploited in Iraq.

So what was your point?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-agains-the-pessimists-are-wrong-iraq-elections/533987/144 "2010-04-20T15:11:04Z")

</div>

> [@bannerrefugee](#):
>
> It is obvious the way “elections” are exploited in Iraq.
> 
> So what was your point?

The pretty obvious one that touting ‘elections’ as some sort of ‘all’s well that ends well’ is idiotic.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-agains-the-pessimists-are-wrong-iraq-elections/533987/145 "2010-04-26T20:16:01Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> Seven weeks after Iraqis went to the polls, a special elections court disqualified a winning parliamentary candidate, likely reversing the narrow defeat of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s coalition and possibly allowing him the first chance to form a new coalition government.

[Iraq Political Crisis Worsens as Court Bars Candidates](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/world/middleeast/27iraq.html?hp)

If things stay true to form, pres. Maliki’ll invade Thailand next year, and _Mauritania_, his real target, the year after that.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-agains-the-pessimists-are-wrong-iraq-elections/533987.md?page=7)