sweetness and light are bursting out all over

Robin Wright reports in todays WaPo on the shifting perspectives and attitudes emerging in Europe in the wake of the Iraq elections. She describes "striking warmth and a rush of expectations about the healing of transatlantic ties" attending Condi Rice's visit. Wright notes, however, that Condi had not yet gone to Paris, the center of resistance to the Bush initiatives, and that Turkish public opinion remains hostile to the presence of US troops in Iraq [largely because there is considerable fear that the Iraqi Kurds will instigate a separatist movement within Turkey's Kurdish minority -- what nobody is willing to say is that Turkey wants to be free to move against Kurdish separatists if necessary, but cannot so long as the US military is in the region.]

This is a nicely-done article, with lots of good quotes. Check it out.

In a separate article Anthony Shadid and Doug Struck report on conciliation meetings between Sunni and Shiite leaders going into the round of constitution-making. There are many difficulties, not the least the fact that the violence continues, but responsible leaders on all sides seem willing to seek compromise and to work together toward a workable solution of their differences. Here's hoping....