Remember Yglesias’ notion that hope for democratic progress in Iraq had been defeated – not under challenge or at risk, but kaput?

Maybe not.

Iraqi blogger Ali, writing at Free Iraqi was concerned after the elections:

After the results of the January elections appeared, many Iraqis who were hoping for a democratic Iraq were discouraged. The results not only showed a significant dominance by the religious She’at parties but also gave a serious warning sign that democracy, while what the vast majority of Iraqis want, still may divide Iraq into three small countries or lead to a civil war given that the decades of oppression mainly directed towards the She’at and Kurds may cause these two to always vote along sectarian and ethnic lines, which subsequently would cause the Sunnis, who are till that time seemed to be living in the past and not accepting the fact that they’ve lost power, to vote similarly.

I myself was very discouraged during that time and started having serious doubts that democracy would ever work in Iraq. My best thoughts in the beginning were that we needed a civil war. I thought that it was probably inevitable once the Americans leave and may in the end convince everyone that the only way to succeed is to accept and tolerate each other instead of trying to dominate or isolate themselves. A couple of things gave me hope though, the fact that we have another election coming soon and that the elected government was doing terrible.

But then he reviews the current politics and politicians, and finds one he likes:

It may look strange to many that I consider a man like Mithal Al Alousi as a significant player in Iraq’s politics and it was even stranger months ago. There are reasons why I believe this guy will have a major effect on Iraq’s politics in the near future. While still not as well-known or popular as Allawi or even Chalabi, the man and since he was expelled by Chalbi from the “National Accordance” following his visit to Israel has been gaining support very rapidly. When he started his own party “The Democratic Iraqi Nation Party” a year ago he had only 1600 members in it. Today, only in Hilla he has 15000 registered members in his party. He’s a secular Sunni that gained a lot of support in the south among She’at. That’s something that gives hope. Moreover, and to me this is the most important point, he’s the only Iraqi politician who says it loud and clear all the time that Iraq’s interests lie in a strong strategic alliance with the United States and the free world, and people are not pushed away by that or by his visit to Israel for that matters but in fact it’s having the opposite effect!

and talk to his neighbors:

With these factors considered, the main element that will change Iraq’s fate remains by far the brave and smart Iraqis who may have followed their emotions in the start but that’s changing now. A committed Sunni relative of mine said to me while we were talking about the next elections and the general situation, “I’m sorry Ali, this time I won’t vote for you, I’ll vote either for Allawi or Mithal” I told him that we have joined Mithal and he seemed to be relieved that he was going to vote for someone he believes in and still not breaching his commitment to his family or tribe. He didn’t know how happy and optimistic he made me seeing that he was using his brain, not what traditions, sectarian or tribal laws tell him, to decide on what he thinks is good for him, his family and his country.

Check out his whole post. He’s not mindlessly saying “all is well;” he’s providing a ground-level view of what politics looks like.

And that’s what Iraq needs – politics to replace thug power. I deeply hope Ali helps bring it to be.