Corruption

The main inhibitor in Iraq to security and prosperity in Iraq is the same inhibitor we have in the USA to even greater prosperity which is corruption. And unfortunately, corruption is only dealt with by the voters because politicians can't seem to do anything about it themselves. That is the problem with Maliki whose ties with Al Capone Sadr prevents him from cracking down on Sadr's militias who are causing the bulk of the deaths. It took the voters to clean the Republican's house in 2006, but they unfortunately left the Democrats with their trash (Jefferson, Waters, Murtha being the most blatent ones). That's another story. Short of the silent majority of Iraqis who believe in a single Iraq for all Iraqis actually taking to the streets in a mass that would put the million man march to a shame, it will take iterations of elections to clean up the Iraqi government enough to get one that does more good than harm.