Iraq: Why have a Popular Constitutional Referendum at All?

The Iraqi Constitution reads like a Kurd and Shi'a wish list. To boot, the flawed document forces Islam and postmodern Western democracy into a shotgun wedding.

As if to underscole the superficiality of the legal fundament of the new Iraqi state, US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad has found the answer to mollify the Sunni population and to allow George W. Bush to save face: An apparent last-minute deal to institute a parliamentary panel following the referendum that will be empowered to undo the entire document.