It appears as though a fair number of the Sunnis who have played a major role in our "surge" are getting increasingly frustrated. That is, if you believe this article in the Washington Post.
Some are leaving their posts. Some accuse the U.S. of attacking them. Some claim they are not paid on time. Some feel that the Shi'a are keeping them out of the army and police forces. Complainers are found in every organization, I know. But we have depended on these complainers to help in the "surge". And help they certainly have. It is likely that without the Sunni forces the number of war casualties would not have decreased as much as they have.
It is also true that the formerly powerful are more likely to complain when they are no longer in charge. To quote one of the sheiks, "The Sunnis were always the leaders of the country. Is it reasonable that they are turned into service workers and garbage collectors? We had not anticipated this from the American forces. Of course we will not accept that." Unfortunately, we need them.
Equally obviously, you can understand why the Shi'a are keeping the Sunnis, the minority group that was in power for decades, out. Being in charge after being underfoot for so long does not make one eager to embrace the people who ruled you.
Then, one throws in the Kurds and the pot boils even more.
It was only in the 20th century that there was an Iraq. But it is a dramatically different world from the days when a Western nation could draw the boundaries for countries thousands of miles away.
It's time to accept reality. A federated Iraq is better than no Iraq.
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