Two months have passed since the historic January elections in Iraq and while progress seems to have been made on many fronts, the insurgency continues in new manifestations.

After several weeks of intense negotiation, the Iraqi National Assembly has finally selected their interim president to be Jalal Talabani, a Kurd. The election of President Talabani follows the appointment of Hajim al-Hassanni, a Sunni, as the assembly’s speaker. It has been reported that Hussein, the country’s former dictator, watched the proceedings on television from his jail cell.

After giving his inaugural address in which he called for peace and unity among the Iraqi people, Talabani made the expected announcement that Shiite Arab leader Ibrahim al-Jaafari would serve as interim prime minister. Jaafari is the leader of the United Iraqi Alliance, the party that received the most votes in the elections.

On April 1, the Association of Muslim Scholars, a Sunni clerical organization who previously called for election boycotts, joined the call for a united Iraq and issued an edict calling upon recalcitrant Sunnis to join forces with other Iraqis and fight the insurgency, declaring that rebels like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi “have caused chaos, destruction and violated the sanctities [of Islam].” The call comes as the United States saw the lowest level of attacks against American soldiers in a year.

The insurgents, however, have begun directing their attacks toward Iraqi military personnel. Last week an Iraqi General working for the Interior Ministry was kidnapped. The reasons for his kidnap or the identity of the assailants are unknown. But, experts say, the Iraqi military and police have been helped in part by an Iraqi television show entitled “Terror in the Hands of Justice.” The program features confessions from insurgents and testimonies from victims of terrorism. Human rights advocates have complained about the show, but by showing the insurgents in such a negative and weak light, military experts say the civilian population is increasingly cooperative with the police.

Despite the continuing violence, the Iraqi economy grew at an astounding 52% with inflation held at a relatively moderate and stable 30%. The International Monetary Fund expects the economy to continue strong growth through next year. Foreign investment is still low, however, as many foreign investors are still weary of the tenuous security situation. Economists believe that if the security continues to improve, Iraq’s economy could become one of the strongest in the Middle East.