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Iraq is suffering the worst spate of violence in many years — some say the worst since the height of the U.S. war in 2008. On Friday, dozens of people were killed at an election rally in Baghdad. This Wednesday, Iraqis will go to the polls in the first parliamentary election since the U.S. pulled combat troops out in 2011.
Les Campbell works as an election monitor at the National Democratic Institute. As the head of Middle East programs, he has observed countless democratic elections around the region. “Unfortunately in the Middle East, especially these days, these are long-term issues; nothing gets resolved. What happens after the election is just as important as what happens on Election Day,” Campbell says.