9/12/2005: The final text of the Iraqi constitution has still not been worked out, and so the United Nations cannot begin to print it in several million copies so that Iraqi voters can read it before the October 15 referendum. It is going to be very difficult to get the printing and distribution done with only a month to go. Read More

8/25/2005: The speaker of Iraq's Parliament announced a one-day extension early Friday in talks on Iraq's new constitution - a fourth attempt to win Sunni Arab approval. But he said that if no agreement is reached, the document would bypass parliament completely and be decided in an Oct. 15 referendum. Even if the Constitution were to pass in Parliament, Sunni leaders have said they will challenge its validity and demand new elections, since a three-day grace period after the Aug 22 deadline was a violation of interim constitution regulations that state the charter should be written by a target date. The draft constitution is also opposed by Shia leader Moqtada Sadr, whose supporters have clashed the with the Badr militia which is closely tied to the ruling SCIRI party. Sadr gets most of his support from poorer sections of the Shia community who may be left out if oil revenues under a federal system remain only in the oil rich provinces. SCIRI is more closely tied to Sistani and the Najaf religious power structure which has a steady stream of revenue resulting from its control over the major Shia holy sites. While Sadr has fought against the US in the past and has made demands for a Shia fundamentalist government, SCIRI is closely tied to the religious leadership in Iran and the US has alleged that it's Badr militia is being armed by the Iranians.
Iraq Constitution: Indefinite deadlines | US sends more combat troops to Iraq ahead of referendum | Al-Sadr allies suspend role in government to protest attack on their office in Najaf | Shia clash dents Iraq charter hopes

8/22/2005: Iraq's parliament received a draft of the country's constitution less than five minutes before a midnight deadline on Monday, but there was no vote and Iraqi negotiators have been given three more days to reach agreement. The draft proposed a federal system and seems to have the backing of the major Shia and Kurdish groups but has been objected to by many Sunnis who fear that it could result in the a divided country with Shia fundamentalists ruling the South and Kurdish nationalists ruling the North. Read More | Partial text of draft Iraqi constitution | The Iraqi Constitution and the Dialogue of the Deaf | The 'new constitution' in Iraq is illegal | Draft Constitution May Strip Iraqi Women of Basic Human Rights | Juan Cole: Unfinished Constitution Presented

8/16/2005: After six weeks of negotiations and intense pressure from Washington, the Iraqi political factions supporting the US occupation of Iraq failed to agree on the wording of a new constitution by the August 15 deadline set down by the Bush administration. At 20 minutes to midnight, the parliament voted instead to give the committee drawing up the document until August 22 to finalise a draft. The issue of federalism, which has been espoused by Kurds to grant their Kurdistan region autonomy, is one of the main sticking points delaying the drafting of a new constitution. Kurdish leaders are adamant that Kirkuk be included in their territory and have called for a referendum. Shiites and Sunnis, who respectively make up for 63 and 35 percent of Iraq's population, feel threatened by federalism as they fear they might lose to the Kurds the oil rich Kurdistan.
Raed Jarrar: The Iraqi Constitution | Juan Cole: One-Week Postponement | Kurds Should Get Prepared For Secession From Iraq | Sistani Against Kirkuk's Inclution In Kurdistan

8/9/2005: The US is pressuring Iraq to come up with a Constitution by August 15th. The framers of Iraq's constitution appear likely to enshrine Islam as the main basis of law in the country and many Iraqis fear this will mean a more fundamentalist regime.
Continuing disagreements and a sandstorm that has prevented travel may delay the Consititution beyond August 15th. Kurdish groups are demanding the inclusion of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in the Kurdistan confederation, the recognition of provinces' right to form confederations to deal with the central government in Baghdad, and lack of formal recognition in the constitution of Islamic canon law. Sunni members of the committee drafting Iraq's new constitution have rejected Kurdish demands for a federal state. There is also disagreement on the division of revenue between the federal government and the regions, on whether Kurdish and Arabic should be official languages, and on what to call the country. Read More
At least two unofficial versions of Iraq's draft constitution have been leaked to the press, raising questions as to the direction the future Iraqi state will take -- particularly with regard to the role of religion, the status of clerics, federalism, and women's rights.
Iraqis fail to solve constitution woes | Constitutional concerns | Constitutional Changes in the Iraqi National Assembly | Sunnis on board

As the Iraqi Constitution is being debated, violence and unrest continues. On August 3rd, fourteen US marines and a civilian interpreter were killed when a roadside bomb engulfed their amphibious assault vehicle. On August 7th, hundreds Iraqis demonstrated in front of the Conferences Palace in Baghdad to protest an arrest warrant warrant and 50,000 US dollar bounty on Shiite Muslim cleric Mahmud al-Hassani. Also on the 7th, around 1000 people took to the streets of Samawa to protest poor public services; they were meet with police gunfire that hit at least eight people. On August 8th, the mayor of Baghdad was ousted when 120 gunmen surrounded his office and installed the city's governor in his place.
Security incidents in Iraq, Aug 7 | West turns blind eye as police put Saddam's torturers back to work | US journalist who exposed Shiite death squads murdered in Basra | Unofficial de-Baathification process targets Sunnis in Basra | Bush's Exit Plan: Fomenting War in Iraq