The spate of bombing in Bagdad and Karbala has once more underscored the fact that even 25 months of American occupation there is as yet little hope for peace. The large scale violence that afflicts the political culture of Iraq today was not anticipated by the Anglo American occupying forces and are therefore entirely unprepared to deal with the situation. In the last 4 weels alone nearly 7 000 Iraqi civillians and 230 US troops hasve been killed making this one of the most blood soaked periods of the recent past. Even the month of Ramadan was not free of incident.
The US policy of going through some kind of an election in order to give legitimacy to the occupation is not working, and this spate of violence is only indicative of the cynycism that has gripped the political process. The violence has spread from the so-called Sunni Triange to other parts of Iraq and there is now the added fear of a civil war breaking out between Shias and Sunnis. Whatever his faults, and there were many, the earlier regime had provided in spite of the back breaking sanctions a modicum of civil and cultural rights to the Iraqis. Now thanks to this Anglo American invasion the people face death and destruction on a monumental scale. Once Civil War breaks out the neighbours will be drawn in making the region even more unstable.
The insurgents are clearly targetting the symbols of co operation/collaboration with the occupying forces. The military has hardly any Iqais left and even those who signed up are now deserting. The recruitment into the police force has stopped and even translators are not spared. The Anglo American Forces are finding the going extremely tough.Troop morale has been affected by the rather insensitive remark of the Seceretary of Defence, Doland Rumsfield, when he spoke of going to war with the army at hand raher than the army one would like to have. In short he has admitted a colossal error of judgement in seding troops who are not trained for the taks of urban warfare nor do they have the evuipment for this task.
It is clear as daylight that the Iraq policy has started unravelling.