Reply #9: Shi'ite (Or Shiite) [View All]

is the work you're looking for. They are followers of Shi'a, the second largest branch of Islam.

The Middle East is used to artificial political structures such as, say, the Ottoman Empire. I agree we need to get out quickly, but we should be realistic about the long-term prospects for peace and stability, which are not good, and we should remember that nation building is a difficult enterprise. It took us two tries to get it right.

I have no faith in any constitutional process we set up. A legitimate constitutional process cannot be set up by foreigners. I also think we can do more for the Kurds. For example, we pretty much conceded that the Kurds cannot have autonomy, but why? We made them give that up to the Sunnis and Shiites, but the Sunnis are the ones who are destabilizing the country in the first place. In other words, we gave up the dream of the Kurds for an independent Kurdistan for stability we have not got. Meanwhile the Kurds have been loyal to us, through thick and thin, and have organized the only political subunit of Iraq that is safe and free from terrorism. Screw Turkey, I say, and let's give the Kurds the freedom they deserve!