The neighbors can make it harder. It can take longer. But success is inevitable. This country has the resources to become a very rich and powerful country. It behooves the neighbors of Iraq to help.

The country is bleeding. Iraqis want their leaders to rise to the occasion, to form a government of national unity.

The feeling of being an Iraqi unites all ethnic groups within this country. Even the Kurds, who have traditionally pushed for their own state, see the benefits of the current situation. They enjoy an autonomous status in Kurdistan, while at the same time participating in decisions in Baghdad. But if neighboring states were to push for a partition of Iraq, it would be a horrible mistake.

The Sunnis continue to see themselves, possibly for nostalgic reasons, as the most influential group and want a stronger central government - quite unlike minorities in other countries. The circumstances here are far more complex than many people in Washington imagine.