Chocolate Bars and Partitioning Iraq: Don't Say They Didn't Warn You!

The New York Times brought comparisons with Bosnia into the debate around Iraq yesterday, publishing an article that hints at what many feared (and perhaps others wanted) all along: the U.S. occupation of Iraq will lead to violent division of the country along mostly ethnic lines. Some have argued that this partitioning of Iraq was part and parcel of the neo-con agenda and Bush is just attempting to follow the script, with either little or tremendous success depending on who you ask. The Times article hints at what could be even more dissension within the military in Iraq, something the Pentagon has attempted to quell after criticism of Rumsfeld has been mounting. One thing seems to be clear, the U.S. role in Iraq is a heavy contributor to both ethnic/sectarian violence and ethnic unity under a broad anti-occupation banner.