So, by design or by blunder, Iraq has been effectively divided into the tri-partite state that was suggested and publicly dismissed as policy over a year ago. Along the way, the physical infrastructure of the region has been demolished even as the government in Baghdad this month is slashing food rations by half.
Simultaneously, the U.S has armed and financed all sides and is talking about leaving with the exception of major bases around the oil. We have installed a weak majority Shiite government entity in an area mostly surrounded by well-armed, angry, non-oil Sunni enclaves.
Is there really any question about what comes next other than the demolition of ages-old Mesopotamia? In 4 years, the U.S. has managed to create revulsion by the 2 major religions of the Mid-east and much of Asia, threatened and alienated both the Persians and the Arabs, and destabilized the access to oil which we all know was the initial purpose of it all anyway.
Of course, we are consistent. It looks as if we have destabilized and alienated much of this country too. We seem to have the major political parties vs the electorate; Fundamentalists vs the rest of us; Whites vs immigrants; rich vs poor; war vs peaceThe dollar is plummeting, the banking system is floundering, the election is heating up but with mostly more of the same from both major parties while the electorate is screaming for significant change, and oil is back up to $97. Oh, did I mention paper ballots, climate change, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Darfur, South America, Palestine and Russia’s perturbations? 2008 should be an interesting year to come.
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