When can we call it "civil war"?

[Dhalgren]

"Reuters reports that ' The main Sunni religious group said 184 Sunni mosques had been damaged, some destroyed; 10 clerics had been killed and 15 abducted. The Muslim Clerics Association accused Shi'ite religious leaders of stoking the anger by calling for protests. '"

<snip>

"In Diyala province, guerrillas set up a phony checkpoint and pulled 47 largely Shiite factory workers off a bus and summarily executed them. Other bodies showed up in the streets of Baghdad and other cities. Guerrillas set off two bombs in Baghdad, causing casualties."

"Guerrillas used a bomb to kill 16 persons and wound 20 in Baqubah."


Juan Cole is getting us the truth, as usual. And just as usually, he's damned near the only one...

www.juancole.com

[Beelzebud]

1. It's already a civil war. There will be no formal announcment.

[Dhalgren]

6. Oh no, haven't you gotten your talking points, yet?

It's "sectarian violence" not civil war. Come on, you don't want to be labeled a "conspiracy theorist", do ya?

[_testify_]

8. CNN is even tamer - 'Sectarian hostilities' n/t

[seriousstan]

2. When the deathtoll tops the "toon" outrage deathtoll.

That would be a good starting point. Until then, just another day in the religion of peace.

[Atman]

3. Good question...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=508281&mesg_id=508281

.

[doni_georgia]

4. Rivaling factions in same country fighting = Civil War

It's already a Civil War. They can call it what they want to, doesn't change what it is.

[bluerum]

5. It's sectarian violence! Get with the program. eom

[rucky]

7. At this rate...Civil War by Monday & Ethnic Cleansing by Thursday.

eom

[bryant69]

10. Assuming you are right about ethnic cleansing

What does the United States do at that point?

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[seriousstan]

12. Under the plan of re-deployment, we would then send the troops

back in to help the Iraqi security forces.

[Dhalgren]

14. The civil war is going on right now. The ethnic cleansing could

start today. What would we do, right now, if it happens - our troops haven't gone anywhere, except to ground (for the time being)...

[Dhalgren]

13. Excellent question...

What would we do? Assuming that the "cleansing" was Shi'ite wiping out Sunni, the implications are just over the top. All of Bush's "family" in the ME are Sunni, would they just sit by and watch their brethren exterminated? Would we? But, right now, the Shi'ites are our only allies in Iraq (if you can call them that); would we attack them? Damned good question...

[rucky]

16. Defend the Sunnis?

Saddam's people. Against the people we "liberated." This war has brought irony upon irony.

It amazes me how Saddam could control the Shiites for as long as he did, but the fact he was doing it relatively peacefully (stress on "relatively") shows why "deposing the dictator" isn't a valid arguement for invasion.

If we were really interested in stability in Iraq, we would've separated it into 3 states & handed over the reorganization/reconstruction to the Arab League (with our $$$ backing).

[BurtWorm]

9. When a Democrat can be blamed for letting it happen.

;)

[Dhalgren]

11. And the winner is BurtWorm!

[Yupster]

15. When the Mahdi Army

is called forth and sweeps through what used to be the Sunni Triangle, then we'll have a real Civil War.

It will be short and bloody.

[Joe Fields]

17. Let's just call it "the war between the hates" n/t

[Dhalgren]

18. Good one. And we have one of those brewing right here in the

US, ourselves...