AMMAN, Jordan - If the Iraq war was supposed to plant the seed of democracy in that country and bring stability to the Middle East, it has arguably achieved the former without making progress on the latter.
In fact, rather than bringing stability, there is evidence that the war has provided a training ground for anti-American extremists of all stripes as they develop ways to shred scores of lives in the insurgents' campaign of daily bombings.
Increasingly, jihadists opposed to America and its Middle East allies have staged large-scale attacks in neighboring Arab countries, and jihadist supporters have poured money into armed organizations inside Iraq to keep tensions high, particularly between Muslim Sunnis and Shiites.
The attacks at three luxury hotels here last week in which three suicide bombers killed 57 people - mostly Jordanians - and wounded hundreds, are just the latest examples on a growing list of international targets.
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