There's going to be an election in March, and the results of it will help determine what sort of place it will be for the foreseeable future.<p>It's clear that if the sunnis and the shiites can't share power politically, that the levels of violence are likely to escalate.  If they can, they'll likely stay level or trend downward.<p>That said, if you're seriously considering it, I'd read some of the numerous accounts from journalists and other non-combat professionals who have spent time over there.<p>If after recognizing the possibility of changes in the security situation, the dangers associated with working in Iraq (both physical and mental) you still want to go.... go ahead.<p>But personally, I wouldn't even consider it.  Making money isn't really that hard, and there are countless interesting experiences I can have that don't involve substantial risk of trauma.<p>That said, everybody's money threshold is different, and it's a lot easier to say no to $200k as somebody who already lives comfortably and has a family to take care of, than it would be to say it as somebody who isn't yet financially comfortable, and whose passing would affect only parents, not wives/children.