What kind of future do Iraqis want? What if they choose an Iranian-style fundamentalist Shia government? Will the US respect the will of the Iraqi people?

This is probably one of the reasons why the US wants to play the main role in organizing the post-Saddam government. They would prefer a western-educated, moderate Iraqis to lead the new administration. Handpicked Iraqi exiles from the West have been thrust forward as potential leaders of the Iraqi people. But would Iraqis place their future in the hands of exiles who fled the country when the entire country was suffering under UN sanctions and the tyrannical rule of Saddam Hussein? Would they still be in touch with the common people who bore the brunt of the regime's brutality?

"No to Saddam and No to America" is a common refrain heard among the Iraqis these days, struggling to survive in a post-war climate of lawlessness and appalling humanitarian situation. In the Arab world, no true Western-style democracy has yet to emerge. The US wants to make Iraq a model of for the Middle-East. But it is a bit premature to assume that this is what Iraqis want. At least under the Sunni regime of Saddam Hussein, Islamic fundamentalism did not have a chance to rear its ugly head. Now, everyone has an equal chance to stack a claim for the future of Iraq. The real battle for Iraq has only just begun.