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February 25, 2006
Iraq Is Coming Unglued
In the wake of this week's bombing of one of Shia Islam's most holy sites in the Iraqi city of Samarra, bloody sectarian violence has erupted, threatening to plunge this already fragile country into civil war, a war that would dramatically impact the Middle East as a whole.
Such an intra-faith conflict, in addition to pulling Iraq apart in three directions (Shiite, Sunni and Kurd), could cause enormous upheaval in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Kuwait, which have significant Shiite minority populations.
And of course just to the east sits Iran, a Shiite nation that has already been influencing the political situation in Iraq, and which is seeking to become a dominant player in the region by acquiring nuclear weapons. Truly scary.
Sectarian violence in Iraq continued today, even as government leaders scrambled to contain it and resume negotiations to form a new government. There are some reports of families being pulled from their homes and executed.
And in the middle of all this are 130,000 American military personnel. They would likely be caught between the feuding sides, and would likely be forced to pull out, at least temporarily.
Reading these horrific accounts, one can understand why that wacky liberal, William F. Buckley, has declared that Iraq is lost.
Posted by houtopia at February 25, 2006 06:25 PM