Iraq - Pushing Toward Civil War?

[Richard]

Pushing toward civil war? :confused:

Sam Wyer from the Institute for The Study of War takes a look at the evolving protests across Iraq.

And so it goes...

Richard :munchin

Political Update: Mapping the Iraq Protests
ISW, 11 Jan 2013

Over the last three weeks, both anti-government and pro-government demonstrations have spread across Iraq, split geographically along sectarian lines. The graphics {link below} depict where anti-government protests first erupted and how they have steadily spread throughout predominantly Sunni areas north and west of Baghdad. After two weeks of anti-government demonstrations, pro-government counter-protests emerged in the southern predominately Shi’a provinces. The geographic split of the movements is both a factor and an accelerant of sectarian tensions in Iraq.

http://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/political-update-mapping-iraq-protests

[Dusty]

"Moqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Shi’a political organization the Sadrist Movement, has voiced cautious support for the demonstrations, but has thus far not mobilized his supporters to participate."

[ddoering]

I'm surprised he is still alive.

[Team Sergeant]

We've discussed this ad nauseum. When we decided to leave Iraq and when we leave A-Stan there will be civil war. It's the middle east, tell me a year, or century when they were not fighting with someone else or themselves?

[RedLegGI]

We've discussed this ad nauseum. When we decided to leave Iraq and when we leave A-Stan there will be civil war. It's the middle east, tell me a year, or century when they were not fighting with someone else or themselves?

I couldn't agree more. Even if we left Iraq a utopia and A-stan the same, it will still degrade in to a civil war. The outside factions play a role to spark sectarian violence and once that ball starts rolling, it doesn't stop. This particular one started millennia ago and it keeps slowly rolling along.