printFor what it’s worth, a government of national unity has been formed in Iraq. For the “reality based community,” what should matter are not such staged, symbolic events, but the stable, grinding reality on the ground—life is now permanently precarious for all Iraqis.
Times reports that:
More than five months have passed since 12 million Iraqis braved insurgent threats to vote for a new parliament in last December’s general election… In that time… An estimated 3,743 civilians, 942 security forces and 323 coalition soldiers have been killed, and tit-for-tat sectarian killings by rampant militias have brought Iraq to the verge of civil war.
The vote took place in the Green Zone, the only quasi-safe place in that country. That puts paid to the lie that we can now split.