Saturday, December 16, 2006

Taming Iraq's Sunni Insurgency

Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki has invited former Iraqi army officers to join the new Iraqi army. These Sunni Baathists are widely believed to have formed the insurgency after being fired by then proconsul Bremer.

It's hard to imagine many taking up the offer, particularly those who've been leading the Sunni insurgency. They would be coming back to an army under the control of a Shia-dominated government. They would also, undoubtedly, be expected to work against the insurgents and that wouldn't sit too well for their relatives back in the Sunni regions.

It seems to be an offer too loaded to accept. Imagine if Lincoln had invited General Lee's officers to return to the Union army. I can't see that this is a much more attractive deal.

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