Posted on 05/17/2007 12:29:25 PM PDT by COUNTrecount
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's government has lost control of vast areas to powerful local factions and the country is on the verge of collapse and fragmentation, a leading British think-tank said on Thursday.
Chatham House also said there was not one civil war in Iraq, but "several civil wars" between rival communities, and accused Iraq's main neighbors -- Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- of having reasons "for seeing the instability there continue."
"It can be argued that Iraq is on the verge of being a failed state which faces the distinct possibility of collapse and fragmentation," it said in a report.
"The Iraqi government is not able to exert authority evenly or effectively over the country. Across huge swathes of territory, it is largely irrelevant in terms of ordering social, economic and political life."
The report also said that a U.S.-backed security crackdown in Baghdad launched in February has failed to reduce overall violence across the country, as insurgent groups have just shifted their activities outside the capital.
While cautioning that Iraq might not ultimately exist as a united entity, the 12-page report said a draft law to distribute Iraq's oil wealth equitably among Sunni Arabs, Shi'ites and ethnic Kurds was "the key to ensuring Iraq's survival."
"It will be oil revenue that keeps the state together rather than any attempt to build a coherent national project in the short term," the influential think-tank said.
The oil law, among benchmarks Washington has set Baghdad as critical steps to end sectarian violence, has yet to be approved by parliament. Ethnic Kurds, whose autonomous Kurdistan region holds large unproven reserves, oppose the draft's wording. Continued... Rather that one civil war pitting majority Shi'ites against Sunnis nationwide, the paper said Iraq's "cross-cutting conflicts" were driven by power struggles between sectarian, ethnic and tribal groups with differing regional, political and ideological goals as they compete for the country's resources.
The author of the report, Middle East expert Gareth Stansfield, said instability in Iraq was "not necessarily contrary to the interests" of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
"(Iraq) is now a theatre in which Iran can 'fight' the U.S. without doing so openly," Stansfield said, adding that Iran was the "most capable foreign power" in Iraq in terms of influencing future events, more so than the United States.
The rise to power of Iraq's long-oppressed Shi'ite majority has caused concern in Sunni Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, which deeply distrusts non-Arab, Shi'ite Iran's influence in Iraq, Stansfield wrote.
Should a U.S. withdrawal herald the beginning of a full-scale Sunni-Shi'ite civil war in Iraq, Saudi Arabia "might not stand by," the paper said, "with the possibility of Iran and Saudi Arabia fighting each other through proxies in Iraq".
Hogwash what do they know? Unless it's reported by Hannity, Limbaugh, or Fox News by default it can't be true even though it probably is true and makes perfect sense
With the amount of people murdered in the U.S., this think tank would probably say that we are in a civil war and quagmire.
“(Al Quida in) Iraq on verge of collapse.”
Everybody, repeat after me:
“Oh, it’s Reuters. Never mind.”
“Iraq is on the verge of collapse: report”
The Soviet Union is on the verge of collapse: report - a Reuters headline I don’t remember seeing in 1989.
This is a Soros operation, Google Chatham House Soros.
“Should a U.S. withdrawal herald the beginning of a full-scale Sunni-Shi’ite civil war in Iraq, Saudi Arabia “might not stand by,” the paper said, “with the possibility of Iran and Saudi Arabia fighting each other through proxies in Iraq”.”
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Ummm.....now that’s a nice scenario....let them kill each other off!
Al-Reuters strikes again.
When North Korea invaded the South within a year, Truman sent troops to win back South Korea's freedom.
30,000 Americans died in 30 months because we had abandoned Korea too soon..
I hope Democrats don't remain stuck on stupid and abandon Iraq too soon.
I guess any form of denying the obvious is considered treason-but Iraq is a lost cause.WE are getting our hats handed to us-in more ways than one-the thing is its impossible and dangerous to leave Iraq such a mess-but the congress and people of the US want it-so I just dont know that we can prevail much longer in Iraq.Oh,im just waiting for September when both dems/repubs demand a pullout.We are in a no win situation in that mud hole of Iraq.Anyone who denies this is blind to our political and military will-America is gone soft.We cant hande 3500 deaths -and this for our very existence to live as we please-If the terrorrists had planes and ships it wouldnt take much of a fight to get them to impose Islam on the soft American people.Why is there even an argument as to who is winning in Iraq when WE clearly are losing-and in all probability will completely lose by September of this year.What a joke !
A “think tank” I never heard of. And we’re supposed to care why?
The tinfoil, what about the tinfoil???
Consider the source
And to think Bush didn't get a chance to
The Censorship rules
Well let them have at it then, why are we standing in the way?
Anyone not familiar with Chatham House, it is an uber liberal UK think tank who have as much as objectivity on Iraq as Shumer has on Gonzales
“The tinfoil, what about the tinfoil???”
Damn..... you got me. :-)
YUTA250: Well let them have at it then, why are we standing in the way?
HUMINT: Energy Security
Chatham House said France’s economy is doing well.
In the real world, it is catastrophic.
Chatham is a band of nuts. Don’t believe it.
For infos about iraq, read HERE :
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=28345
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