Lawlessness reigns among competing Shiite political parties, and the murder rate is soaring as forces grab for power and the oil riches of Iraq's second-largest city.
Sabrina Tavernise and Qais Mizher, New York Times
http://www.startribune.com/722/story/498423.htmlBASRA, IRAQ - Politics, once seen as a solution to the problems of a society broken by years of brutal single-party rule, has paralyzed the heart of Iraq's south.
This city of riverside promenades was among the most receptive to the U.S. invasion. Three years later, Basra is being pulled apart by Shiite political parties that want to control the region and its biggest prize, oil.
But in today's Iraq, politics and power flow from the guns of militias.
"It's Mafia-type politics down here," said Brig. James Everard, commander of British forces in Basra.
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http://www.startribune.com/722/story/498423.html
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