BAGHDAD — “If it bleeds, it leads” is a common adage about television news. Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that Iraq has fallen so far from the headlines. Civilian casualties from terrorism are down an order of magnitude from just two years ago, according to United Nations statistics. Baghdad International Airport is busy with traffic from around the Middle East; its biggest problem is not insurgents taking potshots at landing aircraft but rather ridding the terminal of the pigeons which stroll among passengers eating snacks from the café or taking advantage of the airport’s free Wi-Fi. Driving from Najaf to Baghdad, there are still multiple checkpoints along the road, but traversing them now takes minutes rather than an hour or more. Iraq is getting back to normal. It may not be the same as it was in the 1970s, but that’s not a bad thing.
How many other Arab countries have now had four successive changes in power by democratic means and, in many cases, among political parties? The answer is simple: none.
