The uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya and now Syria have undoubtedly awakened a Sunni appetite for change in Iraq.

During my month here in Najaf, I've met many Iraqis who don't fit the category "Iraqi" as it has been defined in America. They have invariably been generous, welcoming and kind -- perhaps better descriptors for the category of "Iraqi."

The triumph of the cross-sectarian and nationalist Iraqiya list, headed by former PM Ayad Allawi, represents a major threat to the ambitious agenda of the regime in neighboring Iran.

If our soldiers are out of Iraqi cities, and the Iraqi security forces start shouldering more and more responsibility as a result, do we really need all 130,000 troops sitting in their bases?

Facing forced conversions, kidnapping for ransom, and murder, religious minorities represent a starkly disproportionate amount of those who've left their homes to find safety elsewhere.