Basra and the Sunni Triangle

The Guardian UK reports a car bomb killed five in the largest city of southern Iraq.

The first anniversary of the Iraq war doesn't find much to celebrate. Between the blowing up of the Mt. Lebanon Hotel, continued killings of US Soldiers, the targeting of Iraqis who are seen as "collaborators" along with Western civilians, and now an act of violence in a supposedly "pacified" part of the country make it clear that Iraq will be a sinkhole for some time.

For anyone wanting some perspective on how the occupation could potentially go, here's a link to an article published last year in the Boston Globe online. It covers what is called the "Vietnam of Israel," namely, their foolish attempt to occupy South Lebanon. What began with "rice and flowers" ended with a humiliating Israeli retreat and the empowerment of Hizbollah. The article itself points all a number of pitfalls awaiting occupation forces, and explains the concept of a "tipping point" in political terms.

The link is courtesy of As'ad abu Kahlil, and carries a few of his own quotes.