Inside Iraq’s hidden war

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, The Guardian, May 20:

After months of argument about whether Iraq is teetering on the verge of civil war, a “national unity” government is due to be inaugurated today. Legislators plan to swear in a new prime minister and cabinet, and much will be made in London and Washington of the fact that this completes a democratic transition that began in December with the election of its parliament. But the reality encountered during three weeks behind the barricades of Baghdad’s increasingly bloody sectarian conflict has more in common with the “ethnic cleansing” of the Balkans than the optimistic rhetoric to be heard on the manicured lawns of the embassy compounds and in western capitals.

Just like clockwork, Bush continues his meaningless mantra about staying in Iraq “until the job is done.”

UPDATE: Meanwhile, a compelling Iraqi blogger writes about the twin dangers of US troops and insurgents.

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