[Burkeman1]

So it is not simply a method of policy wonks dividing up Iraq into "cantons" and acting like like democrats or republicans? Is is it harder than that?

[JohnGalt]

It seems to me that the best plan would be to carve up Iraq and 'help' install tribal kings that would be accepted by the people if we could find any royal blood lines. But what Jonah does not talk about is the Halliburton ain't going to rebuild Iraq unless there are US troops stationed at the critical points and administering a socialist state. (Rather like what our troops in Afghanistan are doing right now administering the return of a narco-state.)

Thus socialism is really the only tie that binds Iraq; that and some farming by the Kurds who look like the could sustain themselves on their own but that would not make the Turks or Iranians too happy.

Whatever the case, I will pull out my copy of "Heart of Darkness" and remind myself how this story ends...

[x]

One problem is that we may become too identified with one ethnic faction or another, and thus alienate a large part of the population. This was a problem of the French empire, which gave preference to Catholics or other Christians over Buddhists, Muslims, animists and others. More here