Iraqi Constitution update

So, the Iraqi parliament just approved a few changes to the charter, which is being voted on in 3 days, in order to give it a better chance of passage in the Sunni areas, and by extension in the rest of the country.

The central change gives Sunnis the opportunity — once the constitution is passed and a new parliament is elected in December — to try to make major changes to the charter.

Sunnis are hoping to have a larger representation in the next parliament and want to try to water down the autonomous powers that Shiite and Kurdish regions will hold under the constitution's federal system. But the current additions give no guarantee that the Sunnis will be able to push through the changes in the future — only that they'll have the chance to try.

If I were Sunni, I'd have held out for more than just a chance to try to change something in a document that will bound my country forever (changing a constitution after it's been approved is no easy task.)

So now I guess it looks more and more like it will be approved, which will probably lead to Iraq being split into 3 countries, with two rich ones sandwiching a poor one, desperate to get a piece of the pie, which could easily translate into full blown civil war (just in case you don't already consider the current situation to be civil war, which I kind of do.)

And let's not forget that the southernmost block will be ruled by a mirror image of neighboring Iran's ultra theocratic government.

Nice legacy Mr. Bush.