The election campaign in Iraq is over, but the political horse-trading will continue for months to come.

Early Iraqi election results indicate that none of the three large political blocs will have sufficient votes on their own to form a new government. To achieve that, they will be compelled to create new alliances despite their ideological differences.

Thus history might just repeat itself with another sectarian-based government.

The election has put Iraq at a crossroads and engendered many crucial questions. What will happen to the country when US forces leave at the end of 2011?

Will Iraq become a dominion of Iran? Will the Kurds seek independence? Will the current constitution be rewritten?

To discuss this, Jasim Azawi is joined by Ghassan Atiyyah, director of Iraqi Foundation for Development and Democracy; Robert Fisk, Middle East correspondent of the Independent; and Laith Kubba, senior director for Middle East and North Africa at the US-based National Endowment for Democracy.

This episode of Inside Iraq aired from Friday, March 12, 2010.