Democracy, Theocrat-Style

Also in the Guardian, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad's latest Tigris Tales recounts a visit to a Shi'a fundie radio station urging people to vote - showing what a satire democracy becomes when the 'will of the people' is the command of the clerics.

Also, in the aftermath of Fallujah, a civil war now looks more likely - another proof of my often voiced point that even if a US pullout now would mean further carnage in civil war (as many Occupation apologists argue), continued US occupation will only make the potential post-pullout situation worse.

Regarding potential for civil war, Patrick Cockburn also makes astute observations - there are signs both for and against.

One of the most important things to watch over the next year or two is the relationship in general, obviously, between the Shia and the Sunni, but also between the nationalist groups on both sides. The Sunnis will have seen that Moktada denounced the attack on Falluja, and Sistani didn't--at least not until the last moment.

He also writes about Fallujah and Mosul, about the nature of the resistance, and about the veracity of claims about Zarqawi's influence. I particularly call your attention to the last part, where he describes the partition of Iraq (popular among Westerners who only have a simplified picture of Iraq's internal diversity) as a very bad idea.