It has taken pressure from the world's main powers to get the two sides' political leaders to shake hands on the road map and to arm-twist the militants to set aside theirgunsandbombs.
If Iraqis can begin settling their differences with political haggling and deal-making, rather than gunsandbombs, that will bring forward the goal that everyone wants to reach, be they Sunni, Shia or Kurd within Iraq, pro- or anti-war in the West: the departure of foreign troops at a time when Iraq is ready to stand on its own.