Iraq's Future?

[Srewop]

I was just interested to see what you all think the future of Iraq holds. With the constant conflict between the Sunnis and Shiites, it is difficult to say.

Background Facts from my AP Human Geography Class
Sunnis make up 90% of Muslims, while Shiites make up 10% of Muslims. The two major Shiite countries are Iraq and Iran.
Saddam Hussein was a Sunni. Although he was not very religious (only appeared that way on camera to play the religion card and try to unite Iraq) he favored the Sunnis, which were the minority in Iraq. Much of the conflict between the Sunnis and Shiites today is revenge for the brutal tactics used by Saddam. Although much of the fighting is political, religion just fuels the conflict. It is one more thing the militants can fight about; it fuels the fire.

[@_@ Artman]

Iraq's future rests not only on it's people, but on it's resources. You might want to watch this view from across the pond.

Robert Newman's History of Oil (http://video.google.com/url?vidurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2Fvideopl ay%3Fdocid%3D7374585792978336967%26q%3Dthe%2Bhisto ry%2Bof%2Boil&docid=7374585792978336967&ev=v&esrc=sr1&usg=AL29H21lu2GUh1sjr7tFSDy1u4W-IVuOQw)

I actually ponder whether the country of Iraq should be divided into three (Kurdish, Shia and Sunni). But currently the US occupation has to take a turn for the better before this. Which is unlikely.

[100mph]

There is no Iraq as a country anymore.

"...

Thousands of Iraqi Refugees Leave Daily

by Eric Westervelt

All Things Considered, November 29, 2006 · Human Rights and aid groups warn that if the violence continues unabated in Iraq, its neighbors could face a widening refugee crisis.

The United Nations says in a recent report that an estimated 1.4 million Iraqis have already fled to neighboring countries, mostly to Jordan and Syria, and at least 2,000 more leave Iraq every day.

Advocacy groups charge that increasing numbers of Iraqi refugees are being turned away at the borders.

... "

[@_@ Artman]

Another good point 100mph.

Also I just read this opinion on Commondreams.org and John Brown nails it.

" How the World Will See the Surge by John Brown (http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0109-24.htm)"

"There has been much press commentary in recent days concerning the administration’s planned surge of American soldiers in Iraq. According to The New York Times, this “rapid influx of forces … could add as many as 20,000 American combat troops to Baghdad.” The domestic consequences of what some media are calling a military escalation have been widely analyzed.

But US pundits, reflecting our widespread national assumption that Iraq is essentially about ourselves, have not sufficiently commented on the possible international reactions to the President’s latest initiative overseas. Below are speculations, based on what polls and foreign media have been saying about the U.S. in recent years, about how some public opinion abroad, taken as a composite, will look at this latest Bush foreign-policy move. "

Iraq? What about our future?

"4. The U.S. is under the control of an anti-Muslim, anti-Arab lobby. The White House is in fact controlled by a coterie of ideologues that wants to redraw the map of the Middle East in favor of Israel. The surge is their latest effort to accomplish this."

[Srewop]

It's funny that you bring up a seperate state for the Kurds, as they used to have one in 1920. Kurdistan as it was known is now divided up between Iraq, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbajan, Syria and Iran. The Kurds have led numerous rebellions, but i think they have come to the conclusion that to try and regain Kurdistan would be an feat against the formidable powers of 5 other countries.

Without a middle class, a country cannot survive. As the middle class (lawyers, doctors, etc.) leave, so does the infrastructure of the country. Currently, Iraq is a very intimidating place for a business to try and start up.

If Iraq can get it's middle class to come back, reach a peace resolution between the Sunnis and Shiites, and garrison a stable government, I think it has a chance. All of these three things need to happen, in which order it does not matter, but if they do not happen, Iraq is not going to be looking good.

[Srewop]

"4. The U.S. is under the control of an anti-Muslim, anti-Arab lobby. The White House is in fact controlled by a coterie of ideologues that wants to redraw the map of the Middle East in favor of Israel. The surge is their latest effort to accomplish this."

First Muslim representative took his seat in the House earlier this year.

[100mph]

It's funny that you bring up a seperate state for the Kurds, as they used to have one in 1920. Kurdistan as it was known is now divided up between Iraq, Turkey, Armenia, Azer Bajat ...

It's Azerbaijan. ... capital BAKU (http://i1.treklens.com/photos/7672/baki3.jpg) - used to be the best city in the world - international, happy and beautiful. :\

[@_@ Artman]

First Muslim representative took his seat in the House earlier this year.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn) right? Eh was the fella who was sworn in on Thomas Jefferson's Quran. Hmmm. Just read an interesting article about this.

"If Ellison now wants to use his faith to justify an appeal to pluralism and inclusiveness and diversity, he needs to repudiate the Nation of Islam, and in much more unambivalent terms than any I have yet heard from him."

Jefferson's Quran (http://www.slate.com/id/2157314/?nav=tap3)

I don't know this gentleman Ellison's policies or much about his ties with the Nation of Islam, but he better steer clear of them.