The complexity of Iraq and the region is so mind boggling. that stepping in with guns blazing and mind firmly shut was, IMO,… well, beyond words.

That was then. Where we are now is in a quagmire.
The most interesting setion for me concerns the observation that in spite of everything, and oceans of spilt blood notwithstanding, many (most?) Iraqis still maintain a sense of national identity.

Joe Biden and a Brookings Institure panel have proposed that separating the warring factions must occur before true reconciliation can begin. When asked directly, however, most Iraqis seem to cling to the hope of resurrecting the old Sunni, Shiia mix in neighborhoods. They cringe from the word ‘separation’, even as it’s actually occcurring on the ground.

That’s a dilemma that will take delicate maneuvering to overcome, and I’m not sure if anyone out there or here is capable of ‘delicate’.

Like so many topics, I think there is too much talking about the end goals, and not enough about intermediary steps that would be helpful now, in an uncertain situation, with an uncertain future.
I hope discussions and actions will focus more on aid to the relocated, for instance, instead of whete relocated and why relocated.

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