[A_perfect_lady]

They say its a mistake because they are now discovering that Sunnis and Shites hate each other and it took a mass murdering dictator to keep them in check.

I have heard this before too, that at least under Saddam there was "stability" and he kept them "under control."

But did he? Did we get a weekly body count from a free Iraqi press under Saddam? Did we hear about it every time a few dozen Shi'ites were killed? If it was so stable under Saddam, where are all these mass graves coming from? It doesn't sound to me that it was much more stable under Saddam than it is now. He didn't control the internecine warfare. He controlled the media that reports it.

[Bommer]

If it was so stable under Saddam, where are all these mass graves coming from?

Thats what created the stability. The fear of having your entire neighborhood exterminated, and one mans willingness to do it if you so much as questioned his authority! That was all that was needed to keep everyone in check.