Is "Civil War" a good thing?

From Baghdad Dweller:


This is a hideous example of the callous way the American media treats Iraq. People are dying needlessly in the streets because of the criminal war started by the US government and Fox News wants to debate if it is a good thing.

But what really shocked me about this image is that us Iraqis should have had this debate a long time ago. Instead of cowering in our homes like victims waiting for liberation or hoping that voting for this corrupt petty dictator or that corrupt constitution will lead somewhere, we should be seizing control of our future.

Iraq is more than this. It has the best experience in the world bar none in state craft. it has a people civilised by thousands of years of history, it has social institutions that are able to survive the worst dictatorship. it deserves and it can build a political system that would be a model for the world.

Yet all we have for a govenment is a bunch of clowns that argue about which ministry they get to play in. The constitution is, frankly, a national embarrasment. And various militias roam the streets in place of real security.

I know civil war is horrific but this situation needs to be analysed coldly - at least so one can sleep at night. What is happening is that one unbearable insecurity situation is replaced by another. What is so harrowing is that as the new security borders are being redrawn people do not know whether their home is going to be in a safe area or on someone's front line.

Really I want you to ask yourself this question, what is the difference; knowing that by driving into the wrong neighbourhood that you will get shot at; or not knowing when you or your children leave the house, if they will get kidnapped, disppeared or killed in random violence? This Iraqi government has never provided and will never provide security to the people. They have armed their own militias and put them in police cars and call this security. Worse such police prevent the people from defending themselves while at the same time are too concerned guarding their own corrupt parties to do anything about crime, leaving the people at the mercy of criminal gangs. One positive thing to come out of this is that people will take control of their own security and not put their lives in the hands of militias that serve their own master and not the people.

Second, we must examine what civil war means. There are many examples of how Shi'a and Sunnis will unite at times of national crisis. Take this image from 24 Steps to Liberty of Sunni's and Shi'a praying side by side in response.



Unlike Lebanon, civil war will not be a fight between the people. From reports I have seen the fighting is happening between militias and militias or militias and people defending their neighbourhoods. This is not civil war in the Yugoslav sense but armed criminal gangs trying to dominate the population.

The Iraqi people must take their destiny in their hands. Take control of their homes and streets and throw out these ugly militias and criminal gangs from their districts. If they do not they can only expect more Samarras and more bloodshed everytime events do not go to the liking of one gang or another.

Further we must define our own unity and national government and not leave it to other countries that only have their own selfish interests at heart. At the root of this conflict is the meddling of foreign interests in Iraq's affairs.