A public opinion poll in USA Today shows Americans are losing patience with the war in Iraq. Nearly 60 percent of those polled think the U.S. should withdraw some or all of its troops — that’s the highest percentage since the war began.
The unraveling of public support presents a challenge for President Bush who has vowed to keep troops in the country until a government is in place and Iraqi forces are able to keep the peace. The road to democracy in Iraq hinges on whether Shiites and Kurds can work out a political solution with the Sunnis, and hopefully quell the insurgency.
Right now, leaders from all factions are struggling to write a constitution that will strike a balance between the interests of all sides — and solve big issues like defining the role that Islam will play in law and government. And they have to do it all by August 15th. Can politics save Iraq?
Guests:
Larry Diamond, author of “Squandered Victory: The American Occupation and the Bungled Effort to Bring Democracy to Iraq”
Noah Feldman, Professor of Law, New York University School of Law and author of “What We Owe Iraq: War and the Ethics of Nation Building.”