As much as it pains me to say this, I think Biden may have stumbled onto something when he suggested a three-state (Kurd-Sunni-Shiite) solution for Iraq.
By now, each entity would have its own military and state apparatus. The shiite-dominated hot mess that is Iraq is failing fast.
I would hope that a three-state solution would work, but wait for the ubiquitous “but”...
...given the religious ideology of these sects of Islam, they would still be at each other’s throats (literally), as they demand the “other sect(s)” convert or die in order to establish their version of a “true” Islamic Caliphate.
As a neophyte amateur, probably I don’t know enough and am wrong.
The problem is that the Sunni area has nothing of value in it. They will not stand idly by while they become poor and the other two areas become rich.
I will give credit where credit is due. Biden was right about two major things:
1. He was against putting ground troops in Afghanistan. His solution to 9/11 was to flatten any Taliban/Al Qaeda asset from the air and from the sea. And if they reappeared, hit 'em again.
2. As you noted ScottinVA, Biden suggested dividing Iraq into three separate homogeneous countries.
I wonder how things would have turned out had Bush II listened to Biden here. It certainly couldn't be any worse than it is now. And a lot of lives and money would have been saved.
I never really understood what the Neocons had against it. It could have been done a long time ago with little bloodshed. Now it will happen with a lot of bloodshed. Maybe they feared a Sunni state and a Iran-leaning Shiite state? Maybe they, in their stupid Neocon minds, thought one state would allow checks and balances.