Quote Originally Posted by TheCurmudgeon View Post
Fair enough. I can see how these can be seperated.

I don't believe they have run out of steam, I think they have run out of allies. They will not be able to depend on other insurgent or Baathist to help them in other parts of the country. It will not be so easy to take territory against groups that feel Sunni's are not welcome there. They will not be able to hold it without the support of the local population. If they do take territory they will end up fighting an insurgency against their insurgency.

I suppose time will tell, but I think they will have to transition to a more traditional form or war from the revulitionary style they have been fighting. They will not be seen as liberators in the rest of Iraq. They certainly have the moral and the financial resources. I don't think they have the orginizational structure or the logistical capabilities to allow them to take the rest of Iraq.
Do they desire control of all of Iraq? Seems like the best option for them is to sustain pressure on Bagdad to force a deal to divide Iraq into three states. They can then consolidate their gains. If they keep pushing they'll reach their culminating point.