With elections scheduled to take place in less than three weeks, the situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate. There are real doubts that a national vote can be held, a prospect that would seriously -- if not fatally -- undermine the legitimacy of the resulting government.
Nonetheless, the United States and the existing Iraqi government remain committed to holding the vote as scheduled. Friends and supporters of democracy in Iraq face a dangerous dilemma: Whether to proceed with elections, though flawed they may be, or to postpone them and, by doing so, encourage extremists to inflame conditions further.
Violence has become a fact of life in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion nearly two years ago. Yet as the Jan. 30 election approaches, insurgents are stepping up efforts to disrupt the ballot. Previously, the allied forces that had occupied the country were their primary target. They are still being attacked, but now it is Iraqis who either have allied with the occupiers or who are otherwise working to bring peace, stability and elections, that are bearing the brunt of the onslaught.