Like just about everyone concerned about Iraq, we’re elated over Tuesday’s American pullout of the cities.

However, we’re watching, too, with anxious anticipation to see if Iraqis can handle their own security.

Iraq still faces many challenges. Mideast countries have long been ruled by authoritarian figures, who hold power more by fear and suppression, and many in Iraq still favor autocratic rule — by their particular group or ideology.

But Iraq will only have permanent peace and prosperity when its diverse cultures and religious groups hold together in order to promote their common welfare. Of course, that means showing respect for one another’s beliefs, guaranteeing every individual’s rights as a human being, and ending the suicide bombings that serve no purpose but to create chaos.

Iraqis are a proud people, which is another reason to be glad our soldiers are handing over security. Most Iraqis have never been comfortable with American troops patrolling their neighborhoods, so there will be an even bigger celebration next year when American troops leave — if they leave, and that’s the unknown.

We have made a huge military investment in Iraq, and we had hoped it would have ended and begun to pay off earlier than this. We still worry that the payoff — peace in that part of the world — has not yet arrived.