The Wire

There are only 30 UN staff in Iraq preparing the way for the January polls, as opposed to 300 in Timor before those elections. Adelaide University Middle Eastern expert Dr John Bruni compares the situation to the recent fairly Afghani election where UN staff were also thin on the ground. He says the lack of UN presence can be a way of ensuring that the election result goes the way the US wants, as irregularities can be covered up and the whole event still looks democratic.