There is one difference that nobody has appeared to have touched on and that is Al Queda. It is ever present with an agenda to turn Iraq into an Islamic republic and therefore a fascist theocracy. A franchise on terrorism is what a British expert called AQ. From their viewpoint they are waging Jihad and until that terribly difficult problem can be solved stability in Iraq is way off.

The ordinary Iraqi people want peace as much as the rest of us but AQ has networks everywhere and are so full of hatred that they will stop at nothing to gain what they desire most. Do you really believe that suicide bombers are sane? What you believe is irrelevant because the 'children of Islam' do not care! Outside of Iraq AQ target anything that is an metaphor of the West, hence why atrocities like Bali gave them so much joy.

Naturally we want a RV else we would not be here but Iraq is almost unique. If any country needed a secular Messiah right now it is Iraq. Someone who could motivate the people to drive out AQ, who would have the intellect to inspire them to better things - God knows the poor creatures have had hell for decades.
I suggest that if you have time look up in a good enclopedia the difference between a Sunni and Shiite, their beliefs are far closer than say Protestant and Catholic and yet they cannot reconcile with one another and this is why AQ are winning. They prey on the weaknesses of an impoverished and (often) ill educated people to do their dirty work ,no doubt aided and abetted by Iran who (imo) becomes more dangerous by the day.

For all of us to become prosperous by a RV would be good,but if only the Iraqi people could find lasting peace soon, and the killings and torturing stop. The comparison to Kuwait is erroneous and I feel, not think, that it will be a long time before Iraq achieves economic stability and the kind of wealth that permeates from UAE and Kuwait. The saddest thing is that Iraq has so many natural resources that with the right guidance it could so easily become another Dubai, if only....

Sean (UK)