This is going to be very interesting.

I hear that a very respected Shi'ite imam was murdered by supporters of another Shi'ite imam at the Shrine of Ali, a very sacred site among Shi'ites. I heard the story on NPR, but so far have only found a link at Yahoo News for April 11, 2003, as an audio file. Scroll down the right side to "Killings of Shi'a Clerics Called 'Bad Omen'".

There's an influential Iraqi Shi'ite group opposing the Coalition presence in Iraq. It's headquartered in Iran.

The Kurds have every right to expect to be rewarded for joining forces with the Coalition and submitting to American command. This, of course, makes the Turks nervous.

How about the Sunni Arab minority? Where will they shake out in the new Iraq?

How will American troops stop the looting? Perhaps they will deploy human shields...

Europe was rebuilt after WWII, yes. Europe had only been occupied for less than a decade by the Nazis, and had a tradition, though new in some places, of democratic or at least representative institutions. Iraq has been ruled by Saddam since 1979. In a nation where 42% of the population is under the age of 15, the majority of the population only remembers government under Saddam. There's no widespread democratic tradition to build on. General Franks's order, "we will stay until there is a free government", looks like "until Hell freezes over" to me.

I would like to know what the working definition of a "free government" is, too. Is it one chosen by the Iraqi people, no matter who it is, or is it one OK'd by the US?

Ah, life in interesting times! Optimism's outlook won't prepare anybody to fix the whole applecart.

Regards--
Mary Anne