Comments on Born at the Crest of the Empire: Robbing Peter to pay Petraeus in Iraq

The Baathist party was Pan-Arab too. That's the ma...

2007-07-14T23:26:00.000-05:00

The Baathist party was Pan-Arab too. That's the main reason it was disbanded IMO. Arab unity is a bigger threat to Israel than Iran.

Thanks Todd.Anon, The mainline ex Baathists are(or...

2007-07-14T22:01:00.000-05:00

Thanks Todd.

Anon, The mainline ex Baathists are(or at least were) very secular.

This Shia run the gamut.

Sectarianism is really more about politics in Iraq, but, the religion is a very useful means to bond people to the movement. Much like elsewhere, you need to find some higher ideological construct to get people to willingly die.

The Sunnis just seem more sensible and realistic t...

2007-07-14T19:25:00.000-05:00

The Sunnis just seem more sensible and realistic to me. They don't seem as fanatically religious. Most of the Arab world would prefer a Sunni government in Iraq so they would get more cooperation from Saudi and the Gulf States. Just my opinion. It looks as though the Shia have a pretty firm hold on the South now anyway.

Another insightful post.

2007-07-14T18:29:00.000-05:00

Another insightful post.

Interesting. Why? Because they have the people and...

2007-07-14T15:49:00.000-05:00

Interesting. Why? Because they have the people and past history? Because they don't have the same schisms as the Shia?

Right. I would also suggest the Sunnis are better ...

2007-07-14T12:21:00.000-05:00

Right. I would also suggest the Sunnis are better equipped to govern.

Agreed. The US played a huge part in his initial r...

2007-07-14T12:02:00.000-05:00

Agreed. The US played a huge part in his initial rise to power, and supported him up into the Iran Iraq war.

It was no accident that the Sunnis under Saddam we...

2007-07-14T08:18:00.000-05:00

It was no accident that the Sunnis under Saddam were running the country.