---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are currently more political…"
description: "\"There are currently more political parties in Iraq than unbombed buildings to hold them.\" — Ed Helms"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f9/ed-helms-4996_building_there-are-currently-more-political-parti_2765478.png"
---

#  There are currently more political parties in Iraq than…

![“There are currently more political parties in Iraq than unbombed buildings to hold them.” quote by Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f9/ed-helms-4996_building_there-are-currently-more-political-parti_2765478.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f9/ed-helms-4996_building_there-are-currently-more-political-parti_2765478.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f9/ed-helms-4996_building_there-are-currently-more-political-parti_2765478.png)

> “There are currently more political parties in Iraq than unbombed buildings to hold them.”

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote humorously highlights Iraq's fragmented political landscape, comparing the sheer number of parties to the scarcity of intact buildings.

**In simple terms:** Iraq has many parties but few stable places.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the need for political consolidation.

Themes

politics fragmentation humor

Mood

sarcastic critical

Type

satirical political commentary

When to use this quote

- election analysis
- policy reform
- media commentary

Key Concepts

statebuilding party systems post-conflict reconstruction

Questions to Reflect On

- How does party proliferation affect governance?
- What reforms could reduce fragmentation?

A Different Perspective

The joke may oversimplify complex governance issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political parties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-parties/)

## Related quotes

> [“I wanted to learn more about its past but felt this overwhelming need to leave. I remember hearing somewhere that buildings can hold memories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadinet-tekie/i-wanted-to-learn-more-about-its-past-but-felt-this-overwhelming-need/)

[Hadinet Tekie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadinet-tekie/)

> [On the issue of Iraq, it is my hope, and my challenge to my colleagues, that our debate will be based on what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/on-the-issue-of-iraq-it-is-my-hope-and-my-challenge-to-my-colleagues/)

[Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/)

> [We're leaving behind a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq with a representative government that was elected by its people. We're building a new partnership…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-re-leaving-behind-a-sovereign-stable-and-self-reliant-iraq-with-a/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [When I was growing up in Iraq, there was an unbroken belief in progress and a great sense of optimism. It was a moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zaha-hadid/when-i-was-growing-up-in-iraq-there-was-an-unbroken-belief-in/)

[Zaha Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zaha-hadid/)

> [We must support initiatives that provide clear, concrete measures and milestones that our troops need for defeating the insurgency, building up Iraqi security forces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrod-brown/we-must-support-initiatives-that-provide-clear-concrete-measures-and/)

[Sherrod Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrod-brown/)

> [But, you know, I'm sorry, I think democracy requires participation. I mean, I don't want to proselytize but I do feel some sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cusack/but-you-know-i-m-sorry-i-think-democracy-requires-participation-i/)

[John Cusack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cusack/)

> [How the American right managed to convince itself that the programs to alleviate poverty are responsible for the consequences of poverty will someday be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/how-the-american-right-managed-to-convince-itself-that-the-programs/)

[Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/)

> [Political parties exist to get bums on seats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marta-andreasen/political-parties-exist-to-get-bums-on-seats/)

Marta Andreasen

> [Vibrant political parties are vital to the health of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/vibrant-political-parties-are-vital-to-the-health-of-our-democracy/)

[Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/)

> [the Republicans love to say that the Democratic Party is ruled by 'special interests.' But when pressed to name these 'special interests,' the usual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-ferraro/the-republicans-love-to-say-that-the-democratic-party-is-ruled-by/)

[Geraldine Ferraro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-ferraro/)

> [After the revolution the borders were left open. Pens were free, expression was free, political parties were free. Even if these people are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayatollah-khomeini/after-the-revolution-the-borders-were-left-open-pens-were-free/)

[Ayatollah Khomeini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayatollah-khomeini/)

> [When I tried to create a new political party, which I stressed that this is not my party. I believe very much that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/when-i-tried-to-create-a-new-political-party-which-i-stressed-that/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [People who live in the post-totalitarian system know only too well that the question of whether one or several political parties are in power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/people-who-live-in-the-post-totalitarian-system-know-only-too-well/)

[Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/)

> [I will not be a Democrat or a Republican. They are the problem, not the solution. We need to abolish political parties in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/i-will-not-be-a-democrat-or-a-republican-they-are-the-problem-not-the/)

[Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/)

> [Global poverty is the product of reversible policy failures overseen by politicians, past and present. The poorest of the poor don't vote in American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-evans/global-poverty-is-the-product-of-reversible-policy-failures-overseen/)

[Hugh Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-evans/)

## More by Ed Helms

> [First there was the New Hampshire primary, and we had nearly a year leading up to it. And now, look! Three primaries in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/first-there-was-the-new-hampshire-primary-and-we-had-nearly-a-year/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

> [The biggest thing that comes out of improv that gets built on is just character traits. You know, for me the singing was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/the-biggest-thing-that-comes-out-of-improv-that-gets-built-on-is-just/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

> [When you're playing a fictional character reacting to the real world, it's incredibly difficult and confusing and kind of messes with your values a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/when-you-re-playing-a-fictional-character-reacting-to-the-real-world/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

> [ It was never tough \[ being the new guy\]. It's just the warmest group of people \[The Office stuff\] you could ever hope to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/it-was-never-tough-being-the-new-guy-it-s-just-the-warmest-group-of/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

> [ What's cool is that in the story of the movie \[The Hangover\] our characters are also really kind of getting to know each other… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/what-s-cool-is-that-in-the-story-of-the-movie-the-hangover-our/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

> [Sometimes you just create a joke out of thin air in the editing room. I'm really glad I've had that experience. It gives me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/sometimes-you-just-create-a-joke-out-of-thin-air-in-the-editing-room/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

> [I love travel. I love to go spend time in new places. And even though I got horribly sick in Thailand, and it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/i-love-travel-i-love-to-go-spend-time-in-new-places-and-even-though-i/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

> [ One of the biggest breaks we had actually, one of the biggest, the hardest I laughed on the movie \[The Hangover\] was the baby… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/one-of-the-biggest-breaks-we-had-actually-one-of-the-biggest-the/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

> [ Todd \[Phillips\] doesn't care. That's part of his genius as a director, he will say anything to anybody. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/todd-phillips-doesn-t-care-that-s-part-of-his-genius-as-a-director-he/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

> [So long as your desire to explore is greater than your desire to not screw up, you're on the right track.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/so-long-as-your-desire-to-explore-is-greater-than-your-desire-to-not/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

> [People now genuinely respond to it and associate me with music. It's really fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/people-now-genuinely-respond-to-it-and-associate-me-with-music-it-s/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

> [I'm a very jaded and cynical person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/i-m-a-very-jaded-and-cynical-person/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

> [When you're in New York City or Los Angeles, even if you're not dealing with show business, there's still this sense that it's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/when-you-re-in-new-york-city-or-los-angeles-even-if-you-re-not/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

> [That's actually a rare thing to be on a set full of people that you admire and make you laugh all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/that-s-actually-a-rare-thing-to-be-on-a-set-full-of-people-that-you/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

> [People who grew up in New York City or Los Angeles tend not to even understand what goes on in the rest of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/people-who-grew-up-in-new-york-city-or-los-angeles-tend-not-to-even/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

[Explore all 104 Ed Helms quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

## More Building quotes

> [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/)

[Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/)

[David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/)

> [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/)

[Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/)

> [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/)

[Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/)

> [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/)

[Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/)

> [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/)

[Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/)

> [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/)

[Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/)

> [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/)

[Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/)

> [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/)

[Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/)

> [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/)

[Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/)

Browse all 5,974 Building quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There are currently more political parties in Iraq than unbombed buildings to hold them.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ed Helms"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/there-are-currently-more-political-parties-in-iraq-than-unbombed/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Building"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/there-are-currently-more-political-parties-in-iraq-than-unbombed/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f9/ed-helms-4996_building_there-are-currently-more-political-parti_2765478.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f9/ed-helms-4996_building_there-are-currently-more-political-parti_2765478.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f9/ed-helms-4996_building_there-are-currently-more-political-parti_2765478.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There are currently more political parties in Iraq than unbombed buildings to hold them.” — Ed Helms",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ed Helms",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There are currently more political parties...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/there-are-currently-more-political-parties-in-iraq-than-unbombed/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/there-are-currently-more-political-parties-in-iraq-than-unbombed/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
