The Iraq War has ended. The Iraq Government is established and will govern in accordance with the Iraq Constitution. The Sunni population has conceded to this arrangement.

There was a time when there was a reason for the Shiites to have militias, but that time has ended.

We here might perceive this development as a victory for some and as a defeat for others. I think rather that most people’s attitudes have evolved and coalesced. Now there is a consensus to move forward together as a peaceful democracy, recognizing the difficulties and also the advantages of that path.

Most Iraqis will claim they always preferred to move along that path, even though there were several years when practically everyone was compelled to pause and fight instead. A few Iraqis might admit they they had been wrong before and have changed their minds, and all of them too should be welcomed as fellow successful survivors, not as defeated wrong-doers.