Iraq may be slipping into civil war

[onehandle]

Feb. 16, 2004  |  BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Sunni politicians speak angrily of U.S. bias toward their Shiite rivals. Kurds are more outspoken in demanding self rule -- if not independence. And someone -- perhaps al-Qaida, perhaps Saddam Hussein loyalists -- killed more than 100 people in recent suicide bombings.

Rivalry and resentment among Iraq's ethnic and religious groups have become much more pronounced since Saddam's ouster in April. And those tensions are rising as various groups jockey for position with the approaching June 30 deadline for Iraqis to retake power

The fault lines are emerging for a possible civil war.

http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2004/02/16/civil_war/index.html

[AngryYoungMan]

1. Right, because ousting Hussein worked so well.

You've got to hand it to those neocons...they really understand geopolitics. Their predictions of grateful flowers and joy have all come true.

ON EDIT: I'm not saying Hussein was a great guy, obviously. I just don't think we should have invaded Iraq.

[Kinkistyle]

6. Sometimes it is necessary to bide one's time.

Even if the whole war was about liberating Iraqi's and not perpetual war and stealing Iraq's oil, an intelligent foreign politician would have realized that despite Hussein being a tyrannical despot, he had the country under a degree of stability, so that most folks could live a normal life. With a power vacuum, not only would the whole country fall into ruin and civil war, but probably a whole lot more dead, including Americans, and possibly spark a spate of angered Islamists driven toward terrorist groups.

As evil as George the First was, at least he understood this.

[dbt]

2. "MAY be?!?!?"

What an optimistic view.

:scared:
dbt

[fishnfla]

30. Our next president is going to inherit this problem

this is gonna be a long running situation.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

3. Gee...what a surprise. Didn't the CIA warn the NeoCons of this...

...very strong possibility before the invasion of Iraq was begun?

[AngryYoungMan]

4. They'll reverse that...

...and claim that the CIA DOWNPLAYED the civil war threat whenever Bush etc. fretted over it. Wait and see.

[lindashaw]

5. Almost EVERYONE warned the Neo-cons of this.

[NeoConsSuck]

9. I'm sure they warned them

but the chimp administration is filled with oil barons. And they focused on *one* fact:

Iraq=Second largest oil reserves in the world.

They could give a flying you-know-what about liberation, democracy, freedom and other trival pursuits that have nothing to do with oil.

And if the oil flows, who gives a damn if those brown people suffer, and every now and then some American kid loses an arm, leg or a life.

[Cooley Hurd]

15. Poppy was aware of this possibility...

...that's why he held short of capturing Saddam back in '91. Junior and his PNAC/Neocon heroes ignored all of this - that's criminal negligence by no stretch of the imagination...

[Auntie Bush]

21. His own Father warned him too.

That was the reason Bush Sr. didn't go after SH.
But since Jr. doesn't like to take advice from Daddy and wanted to prove he could do better...we went to war in Iraq! Was that the real reason we went to war in Iraq? To prove who had the biggest Dick?

[LiberalFighter]

26. Time for a castration

[Flagg]

7. Some people owe a serious apology to the countries of France and Germany

especially France

[NeoConsSuck]

11. Personally, I would rather see

the F'ing bastards choke on their "freedom fries".

I think an apology is a little too late at this point.

I'm 50-50 French-German heritage. That I am proud of.

I can't say I'm proud to be an American citizen.

[Mari333]

13. They owe a serious apology on their hands and knees

to all the dead soldiers, civilians, wounded, families here, families there, the entire world and remember, they are still sending our kids into this as civil war erupts..they are sending back kids with psychological disorders who have been there before, they are sending in kids who dont know what they are going into
Expect more soldiers wounded, dead, expect more horror. How I pray that some miracle would get that bastard out of the WH and all his cabal asap..I dont think I can bear wondering and waiting as this drags on.
soldiers and people die and are wounded and that asshole prances around at Nascar.

[Auntie Bush]

22. CLARK is the only one who could make a meaningful apology.

[Gman]

8. And the train wreck continues

Wonder what Iraq will be like in November??

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. Slipping into civil war?

Is that supposed to be like slipping into something more comfortable?

I hate the way the press manipulates language. Why they tell it like it is? Iraq is already in the midst of a civil war that is likely to get even worse once the Americans hand over power in June.

[PatrioticOhioLiberal]

12. Once America hands over power?

LOL, the neocons have no intention of "handing over power".

Slight of hand is their greatest trick...and the press buys it every time, reports it in glowing terms, and they all go back to their little oil bought ivory towers believing they've convinced the apathetic American people (an they usually do).

Those of us who aren't apathetic keep waving our arms and setting off fire alarms, but no one listens.

And the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer.

[DoYouEverWonder]

14. I think that as soon as our new bases are built

we will be more than glad to hand over power and let all the Iraqis kill each other. It will be just like Afghanistan. We really don't care what these people do to each other as long as our bases are secure. Notice there are hardly ever any attacks on US bases in the region? When all you have is a donkey cart and a suicide bomber, you tend to go after softer targets.

[RedEarth]

16. "Dead-enders" and criminals that Saddam released are the ones

causing all the problems. Hell, big cities like Los Angeles have just as many problems as what's going on in Baghdad." This was the type of spin Rumsfield and others in this admin used when some of the initial attacks occurred almost one year ago. I wonder if they still feel that way now?

Bush.....get a freaking brain you moran....what did you expect?

[bif]

17. Who didn't see this coming?

Those arrogant pricks1

[Ilsa]

18. This was why Bush 41 didn't go into Baghdad.

Brent Scowcroft and others warned GHWBush that Iraq would slip into civil war and the US would be there for decades if Saddam was overthrown, unless it was taken over by a theocracy, in which case the US would probably have to leave. All of this was documented for PBS's Frontline, The War Behind Closed Doors. Shrub decided to ignore the warnings.

[kclown]

19. Can't resist: forgive the repetition

The Kurds sent a delegation to Paris in 1919 in an attempt at
independence.

On the geopolitical front, the folks in Beijing must be
considering whether they will ever have a better opportunity
to retake Taiwan.

[Sagan]

20. One from the "Duh" files...

Many, many people called this while the Chimpministration was still "making its case" for the war.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

23. Yep (m)

and I have never wanted to be so wrong in my life about anything.

But I was not. I wasn't wrong about WMDs, I wasn't wrong about SH not being a threat to his neighbors (much less to us), I wasn't wrong about what a complete and total mess this would be.....I wasn't wrong about thinking it would plunge Iraq into complete chaos and oblivion resulting in civil war.

Geez.

I think, like others, it is a little euphemistic to say they are "slipping" into civil war. They are just about there now.

[newyawker99]

31. Hi Moonbeam_Starlight!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Skittles]

24. gee, I never could have predicted THAT

:o

[JoFerret]

25. Another nightmare possibility

is that we really will have to invade Iraq in the fairly near future following a premature withdrawal that leaves chaos and civil war behind. Iraq stabilized as a breeding ground for the export of terror. Real need to re-invade for the security of middle east and the US. All prophesies and fantasies of Neocon BushBots come true but on a different schedule.Can you imagine trying to sell the public and the world on the need to re-invade Iraq? Thank you GWB for making our world less safe.
Ditto Afghanistan.

[Damn Ann the Man]

27. Maybe we should heed my advice...

And convert all those savage Muslims to Christianity.

Or Maybe the world is better off if I eliminate myself...

[dArKeR]

28. Signs grow Iraq may be slipping into civil conflict - AP

Sunni politicians speak angrily of U.S. bias toward their Shiite rivals. Kurds are more outspoken in demanding self rule - if not independence. And someone - perhaps al-Qaida, perhaps Saddam Hussein loyalists - killed more than 100 people in recent suicide bombings.

Rivalry and resentment among Iraq's ethnic and religious groups have become much more pronounced since Saddam's ouster in April. And those tensions are rising as various groups jockey for position with the approaching June 30 deadline for Iraqis to retake power

The fault lines are emerging for a possible civil war.

http://www.etaiwannews.com/World/2004/02/17/1076983396.htm

[peacetalksforall]

29. Isn't it civil war when countrymen fight countrymen? What do you call

it when foreigners stand in between, in front of, behind, to the side of, and in the way of the countrymen?

[dudeness]

32. the fuse is already lit

civil war was predicted by many observers as a consequence of the colonisation of iraq..the strengthening resistance movement adopting age old guerilla warfare tactics are undermining the ability of the occuping forces to rally local inhabitants to form the next mercenary force to oppress the people of iraq..(as saddam did so successfully for his western masters)..with the death of each coalition soldier producing adverse political problems for the regime..bush has seen fit to abandon a devastated country to its own devices and the subsequent result will be the death of many more innocent iraqis..and an inevitable civil war which will eventually result in a theocracy being in power in this country..

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

33. Slipping? Looks like free-fall to me... but what do I know, I have

only been involved in about 4 civil wars.