Is it time to bite the bullet and seriously consider the partition of Iraq? A country whose borders the British originally defined without considering ethnic and religious consequences. Much of the ongoing civil unrest derives from internal strife and violence between the once-ruling Sunni in the north and the Shia in the south. Isn't it time that the administration came to grips with the reality on the ground and seriously move toward partition of the country?

The Kurds in the north who support the U.S. and the Shia in the south who relate strongly with Iran make up 80% of the population. They are most likely to support partition. As for the Kurds, Turkey would vehemently object to partition, since their own Kurdish population seeks autonomy, and an autonomous Kurdish state on their border would fuel the fire. This issue is best left to the specialists.

The common heritage of Iran and the Iraqi Shia supports any proposal for partition. The Shia of Iran and Iraq could embrace one another at last. However, pundits report that the majority of Sunnis who are centered around Baghdad oppose partition. A major fear is the loss of riches from the black gold buried deep in the Iraqi sand. But if the Sunni receive real guarantees for a fair share of the oil wealth located in the Kurdish and Shia regions, they would be more likely to go along. The specter that all three factions abhor equally is a despotic, central government capable of calling all the shots, like Saddam did. 

There is little evidence to date that the fledgling central government of Iraq will ever be capable of achieving a lasting peace between such a large, diverse population. Violence and chaos will continues to escalate. Every day Sunni and Shia alike are streaming into government offices to change their names, or they carry multiple forged identification cards to pass through militia-controlled checkpoints in order to evade torture and assassination.

The American administration should seriously consider such a radical shift in policy and should work closely with its coalition partners and all the Iraqi parties involved to partition the country. I believe a new bold plan would significantly enhance America's image on the Arab streets. What the Muslim world had heretofore called " the occupiers" would be perceived as a nation that not only diluted an all-out civil war but enhanced peace in a troubled region. Once partition of Iraq was in full swing and civil strife placed under control, our military forces could disengage in a measured manner with their heads held high.

After World War II, America, with the help of its allies, forged the Marshall Plan to successfully reconstruct Europe. Why not do the same for Iraq, in conjunction with partition of the country, and call it the Iraq Recovery Program? All the countries that turned their backs on America should be invited to participate. If an equitable partition of Iraq and a realistic economic recovery plan were implemented, it would be a win-win for America, Iraq, and President Bush. And it may help to defuse some of the continuing strife and violence promulgated by Islamic fundamentalism.             

Contributed by Karl Bossi on September 21, 2006 at 12:36 AM in Iraq, Karl Bossi | Permalink

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