Six Months That Could Change Iraq

[Rank amateur]

Good article although I am just about finished with any reference to "another six months will make all the difference in the world."

Also known as the Friedman Unit - in honor of Tom Friedman's overuse of the term - the six month window of time is irrelevent in my lowly opinion. Think years, not months for lasting successes.

Peace and stability will take years. A full blown civil war could break out in a day or two. I've always thought breathing space = reconciliation was nothing but wishful thinking. I'm glad that we'll get the chance to find out. I didn't think that we would.

Is it just pie in the sky to think that there is a fourth possibility where large numbers of the populace set forth their demands to their local leaders that they are really tired of fighting and want their children to be able to have some peace within which to grow.

All wars end sooner or later. I've always thought that the more we let the Iraqis fight, the sooner they'll get tired of it.

I see two major problems on the way to "reconciliation". One: we'll insist that everyone gets along in a country called Iraq, and that may not be what they want. Two: three ethnic groups, two major areas with oil, make it difficult to work out a deal that everyone thinks is fair.