In Baghdad, the reaction to Obama's election:
In the normally querulous Union of Iraqi Writers club in Baghdad, there was a rare unanimity among the secular, the religious, Shiites, Sunnis and former regime loyalists: While the election of the first black man to the highest office in the United States was admirable, Mr. Obama's promise to start withdrawing troops from Iraq was a cause for great concern. At the club's restaurant and bar, which has survived the wrath of religious extremists over the past few years, Daoud al-Rahmani, a self-styled poet, writer and satirist, gathered at one table with two of his colleagues for an early lunch. They drank beer and nibbled from little bowls filled with marinated fava beans served as hors d'oeuvres . "There will be chaos if they leave,'' Mr. Rahmani said. "We are still in disagreement. Sectarianism is ingrained in us now."
Listen to Mr. Rahmani, Mr. President-elect.