AM REPORT 3-28: The violence in Iraq

March 28, 2008 at 7:48am

Several media outlets are warning that President Bush is spinning a way-too-simple explanation of the escalating violence in Iraq. Bush describes brave Iraqi government forces pitted against "militia fighters and criminals."

But on baltimoresun.com, Frank James quotes Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies as insisting that this isn't a battle between good and evil. It's a power struggle between Shiite factions, says Gordesman. "No one should romanticize" the head of one of the factions, Moktada al-Sadr, says Cordesman. But nobody should romanticize the leaders of the Iraqi government, either, he says.

"The current fighting is as much a power struggle for control of the south, and the Shiite parts of Baghdad and the rest of the country, as an effort to establish central government authority and legitimate rule," says Cordesman.

"The wars in Iraq (the plural is no typo) are about to expand and possibly explode," writes Fred Kaplan�on slate.com, in another analysis of the Iraq situation, "so it might be useful to have some notion of what we're in for.

And the Washington Post is reporting that US troops now seem to be "taking the lead" in the battle against al-Sadr's troops.

Comments for "AM REPORT 3-28: The violence in Iraq" (0)

City Newspaper is not responsible for the content of these reviews. City Newspaper reserves the right to remove reviews at their discretion.

No comments have been posted. Be the first and add one below.

Respond on Your Blog

If you have a City Account you can not only post comments, but you can also respond to articles in your own City Blog. It's just another way to make your voice heard.