The questions posted are a bit too simplistic for one to respond with a set of equally simplistic answers to seriously make sense.

So without getting deep into it, my answer is NO.

I believe the elections will be successful with the help and cooperation of Iraq's neighbors and responsible nations of the world. The good thing is that there seem to be steps that are being taken toward that goal.

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt - Twenty nations, including the United States, Iraq (news - web sites)'s neighbors and Arab countries opened a conference on Iraq on Monday, urging the government to meet with its opponents to get them to take part in the general elections.

The two-day international conference is expected to give strong backing to Iraq's war on insurgents and won't set a deadline for the withdrawal of U.S.-led multinational forces, according to a draft of its final statement, obtained by The Associated Press.

Iraq had asked Egypt to convene the conference, being held in the Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheik, in a bid to bolster world support for its battle against insurgents and its plan to hold national elections. France and some Middle Eastern countries have pressed for a firm date for U.S.-led forces' departure,

The meeting brings together Iraq's neighbors, including Iran, plus Egypt and several other Arab countries, as well as China and regional bodies such as the Group of Eight, United Nations (news - web sites), European Union (news - web sites), Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...q_conference_1

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt - Twenty nations, including the United States, Iraq (news - web sites)'s neighbors and Arab countries opened a conference on Iraq on Monday, urging the government to meet with its opponents to get them to take part in the general elections.

If the government does not allow the opponents run for election, then it's quite obvious that the government wants to remain in power and made this hard fought freedom (at cost of Iraqi and American lives) of voting useless.

Please clarify your position. Do you or do you not think the Jan. 30th elections in Iraq will succeed?

If the government does not allow the opponents run for election, then it's quite obvious that the government wants to remain in power and made this hard fought freedom (at cost of Iraqi and American lives) of voting useless.

There will be an election. I have no doubt of that. Will it succede? The election yes. The elected have a hard row to hoe.

Originally Posted by 03USMC

There will be an election. I have no doubt of that. Will it succede? The election yes. The elected have a hard row to hoe.

I agree with that 03USMC. Anything worthwhile involves work. The end result will be worth all the effort.

The media have been going on for months now saying that "the whole country" is turmoil, "chaos involves the whole country", "things are getting a bit better in this or that city while the situation in the whole country is still ****ed up".
That's so much of a lie.
Since at least a year Iraq has been successfully stabilized by coalition troops, and the role of the Iraqi forces is growing.
Set aside all the so-called good news coming from Iraq (which the media deliberately ignore ), I want to point out that as Iraqi government says (yeah, the one recognized and legitimized by the UN ) only THREE out of eighteeen governorates ( Land Divisions 18 governorates, including: Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Karbala', Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, and Wasit ) have not been totally taken under full control.
To date, Falluja (Al Anbar district) has been liberated and taken control of.
The areas out of gov't control make up part of the so called Sunni Triangle, with Baghdad, Baquba, Tikrit, Samarra, Falluja, Najaf, Ramadi, and all the funny cities we hear of on the news.
The rest of the country is stable and not in political or social unrest.
It's been like that for months now and the situation is getting way better.
Elections will work, in my opinion. I'm not exceedingly optimistic, since I know they also said US- backed Karzai's government was in control of the capital city Kabul only, while Afghani elections were a tremendous success anyways.
But the troops had had a full 3 yr time there before elections could be held.
I believe there'll be a lot of terrorist attacks and such. I believe elections will take place and attacks notwithstanding, they will work.
Some or many elected representatives will be murdered after elections, but if the Sunnis accept to join the government and the system, I'm hopeful Iraq will get its way to peace and stability.

DTop Wrote:

Please clarify your position. Do you or do you not think the Jan. 30th elections in Iraq will succeed?

An election will definetily take place. When things calm down a bit and the majority of Iraqis going to polls without being threatened, it will succeed.

Originally Posted by Kane

DTop Wrote:

An election will definetily take place. When things calm down a bit and the majority of Iraqis going to polls without being threatened, it will succeed.

Have you ever thought that if arabs wanted democracy as much as you would want to change western democracy to N-Korea stylish communism?

Have you ever thought that if arabs wanted democracy as much as you would want to change western democracy to N-Korea stylish communism?

First of all, I was questioning the notion of forcefully imposing a system against another nation's will. I was doing research on Arab Studies and their customs. To some extent, I think that most Arabs consider Western Democracy too ignorant and too self-centered.

But, what is most important is that we're not sure if the majority of Iraqi people were satisfied with the Ba'ath Party ruling over Iraq. George W. Bush Jr. and western media constantly mentions the Iraqi people living under terror and in desperate need of liberation, but I'm not persuaded by their opinions.

One thing to point out, the many Iraqis were celebrating the collapse of the Saddam Hussein's regime and welcomed American Democracy. But, what I think have degraded Iraq is by the prolonged occupation of U.S. troops in Iraq and foreign terrorist fighters swarming into Iraq spreading anti-US/anti-foreign messages.