Division of Iraq

Submitted by David Goshen (Israel), Mar 1, 2006 at 00:38

Dear Mr.Pipes,

Whilst appreciating your analysis of the situation in Iraq I would very much appreciate hearing your suggested solution for the tragic killing which does not cease and in my humble opinion is on the increase.The USA & its partners cannot stay too long & it is doubtful that they will be able to interfere when Iraq gets" invaded" by Iran or some other "peacekeeping Muslim force"at the request of the Shiites as happened in Lebanon when the civil war dragged on.

I personally find it difficult to understand why the USA & its partners did not carve up Iraq into at least 3 countries Kurd Sunni Sheite .There is no dispute that Britain when creating Iraq almost one hundred years ago did not pay any attention as to whether the joining up comletely different groups was logical.The truth is that the union was illogical & had to fail. I realise that the USA concerned with Turkey & less concerned for the Iraqis would not find it easy to support an independent Kurdish state!
We have so many examples of colonial powers carving out countries which in the end had to be divided.or "unions" which were in the long run not destined to work!

Some examples are :Lebanon (still not solved),Yugoslavia, Soviet Union,etc. Democracy is a system which does not work well when there are major minority groups. Please give us some ideas of what has to happen. You are so experienced.
My humble opinion is that self determination & contol of their own destiny by each of the 3 major groups is the only the solution for Iraq.

Thank you for your articles which I always read with much interest.

David Goshen
Israel

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