It’s never good news when Iraq makes the front page of the news. That’s usually because we’ve become so accustomed to tragedy, that daily events, bombings, and massacres are casually relegated to a dark and lonely corner of most mainstream media sites.

Thursday was particularly brutal, as a female rights activist was beheaded in her home. Violence against women has been escalating, and is unlikely to stop. It was obviously intended to discourage other women from speaking out, and my guess is it may well have that consequence.

All of this comes a little over a month before their general elections, which the US hopes will help stabilize the country and give the population incentive to get involved in their government. Is it just me, or is this a fundamentally bad idea? The country is in no shape to vote, and their priorities should be focused on bringing order and peace to the region. Setting up a fragile government composed of warring groups will only further exacerbate the situation. Order in a country is the result of trust in government. It is unlikely this will occur. If anything, these elections will prove just how the Sunni, Shi’ite, and Kurds are unwilling to negotiate with one another. I predict more disaster, and far more politically motivated violence.