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Newsview: Public taking hard look at Iraq
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-24 15:18
A torrent of bad news — rising soldier death tolls, suicide bombers, torture
allegations — is riling America right now with the hard realities of Iraq.
Yet, after nearly three years and more than 2,000 American lives, there also
was some hope this week. At a meeting in Cairo, Iraqis outlined what may prove
the best — if uncertain — prospect for success: cutting a deal with former
adversaries in hopes the country does not descend into civil war.
Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the top U.S. commander in Iraq, hinted at such a
formula a few months ago when he told an American audience that bringing
disaffected groups into the political process "is ultimately how this conflict
is going to be resolved."
That would mean a new Iraq in which some lesser figures from Saddam Hussein's
old Iraq play a role.
The emerging strategy — strongly pushed by the United States — may work.
Sunni Arabs seem genuinely interested in voting in the Dec. 15 elections rather
than boycotting the polls as they did in January. Sunni Arab leaders are
encouraging a big turnout, often at great personal risk.
If more Sunnis see a future for their community in a democratic Iraq, the
level of violence may recede. And, Iraqi army and police forces could assume
enough responsibility by late next year so a substantial number of American and
other international troops could go home.
But few strategies in Iraq have gone according to plan. There are many
pitfalls along the way. And even if this one works, it could take years to
stabilize a country awash in both bitter communal rivalries and deadly weapons.
It's not that the situation in Iraq has necessarily gotten worse — it may be
just that America's understanding of Iraq has gotten better.
Tensions among Shiites, Sunni and Kurds — held mostly in check during
Saddam's rule — are seemingly always on the boil these days. Politics is defined
by loyalty to tribe, religion and ethnicity.
U.S. troops unleashed those passions when they invaded in 2003 and now find
themselves caught in the middle.
Communal hatreds play out in guerrilla attacks and reprisal killings. As just
one example: Iraq's security forces, especially the elite commandoes of the
Shiite-run Interior Ministry, have taken a greater role in ferreting out
insurgents hiding among the Sunni Arab populations.
American commanders believe Iraqis are better than foreigners in identifying
insurgents hidden among the population. But with security services heavy on
Shiites and Kurds and insurgent ranks largely Sunni, the battle against
insurgents has sharpened the cultural divide.
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