Politics and Culture

I don't think it's a coincidence that the improvement in Iraq coincided with the Iraqi win in the Asian soccer (football for my international readers) championships. I think that many Iraqis decided to come together at that point.

Follow up:

SYDNEY - Iraq captain Younis Mahmoud and midfielder Nashat Akram have been included on the final shortlist for the Asian footballer of the year.

The pair, who played in the Iraq team that won this year’s Asian Cup, were joined by Saudi Arabia striker Yasser Al Qahtani as the final three nominees for the award, which will be announced in Sydney on Wednesday.

Mahmoud is perceived as the popular choice to win the award after leading his team to a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in the Asian Cup final in Jakarta in July.

He was named player of the tournament after scoring in the final in a result that captured the imagination of the sporting world and provided a rare moment for celebration in his war-torn homeland.

Few people had given Iraq any chance of winning the tournament after a haphazard preparation. The players were forced to train and play qualifiers in neutral countries and had only had two months to mould a team that included Shi’ite, Sunni and Kurdish players.