The real Surge

The USA is arming local tribal leaders to fight the foreign fighters, the so called al-Qaeda in Iraq. The new strategy is working. But while attacks on U.S. soldiers are now down this is Pyrrhic victory at best. These local sheiks are not about to establish democratic governance in their domains. Iraq has now devolved back to the 12th century. Welcome gentle reader to feudalism , where those who have the gold make the rules. The land between the Tigris & Euphrates rivers has not been in this bad a political state since the sack of Baghdad by the Mongols.

And once the sheiks kick out the Muslim foreigners whats to stop them from kicking out the other foreigners, you know they guys with the American Flags on their shoulders? What is to prevent the sheiks from using those weapons to further their long standing feuds?

The USA has essentially admitted that the Government in Iraq no longer works. Nouri al-Maliki is not even the Mayor of Baghdad he is the Vizier of the Green Zone at best. Iraq has shattered in to a million pieces. Hence we are arming these local tribal leaders and leaders of factions of those same tribes. So much for the shining light of democracy in the Middle East. So much for remaking the Middle East in our image.