| Sumario: | The failure to give power to women would condemn Iraq to the fate of its Arab neighbors. Although building democracy will prove impossible without immediate leadership from Iraq's women, the Bush administration has merely trumpeted women's rights in the Middle East without taking action. Failure to empower Iraq's women will result in autocracy, economic stagnation, and social malaise, but it is not too late to achieve meaningful political representation for Iraq's female population. UN special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi's plan to install a technocratic caretaker government until democratic elections are held could avoid the risks of a hurried vote that might solidify the base of extremists who might limit women's rights. In addition, Raja Habib Khuzai, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council, is pushing for the appointment of at least one woman to the quartet of top executive positions in the Iraqi government.
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