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EDITORIAL: Moment of Choosing: Iraq on Brink of Full-Scale Civil War

Posted on: Monday, 27 February 2006, 15:00 CST

By Tulsa World, Okla.

Feb. 27--It was a tumultuous week in Iraq. The next few weeks are likely to decide the fate of the country's struggling democracy and many Iraqis.

The bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, one of the Shiite Muslims' holiest shrines, threatens to plunge the country into a civil war that could rival those of Lebanon and the Balkans.

If, indeed, it turns out that Sunni Muslim insurgents were responsible for the mosque bombing, then Shiite retribution could spark a struggle for revenge and power that could undo any good that the United States has accomplished the last four years.

Already Shiites have retaliated by burning Sunni mosques and attacking Sunni religious leaders. If the Sunni insurgents attacked the mosque -- and it seems almost sure that they were -- then they could accomplish the goal of wrecking the country's new, Shiite-majority government.

The best course would be for Shiites to understand that a civil war is not in their or anyone's best interest. Shiite and Sunni religious leaders have, in fact, called for calm.

More reasonable leaders in neighboring countries have urged Muslims in and out of Iraq to realize that by engaging in a civil war, they will not only destabilize Iraq, but the rest of the Middle East.

It will take an extraordinary effort. Already the radical president in Iran has said that the bombing at the mosque was carried out by U.S. forces trying to turn Muslims against Muslims. As outrageous as that statement is, it has had some impact across the Mideast.

For their part, the Iraqi security forces ought to take the lead in quelling violence in their country. If they do so, they will need more discipline than they have shown during other violent demonstrations. In many instances, Iraqi forces have stood and watched as mosques burned and Sunnis and Shiites fought in the streets.

Make no mistake, this is a powder keg of immense proportions. Civil war could bring Iran into the fight. That would put U.S. troops, already strained, in a difficult position. A civil war in Iraq in which Muslim countries will have to choose sides will devastate the countries and have an enormous impact on the world economy.

It also will force President Bush and the American people into a tough decision. Do we stay and fight in Iraq's civil war? If we do, whose side are we on? The Shiites now control the government, but a war could lead to an alliance with Iran.

Bush, speaking to the American Legion in Washington, D.C., Friday, said: "This is a moment of choosing for the Iraqi people."

Indeed. It also could be a moment of choosing for the United States.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Tulsa World, Okla.

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Source: Tulsa World

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