James S. Robbins on Iraq on National Review Online

James S. Robbins on Iraq on National Review Online

To wit*, "foreign fighters must have been stunned when Shiite and Sunni leaders rushed out statements saying they knew that the takfiri (i.e., those who accuse other Muslims of being infidels, a code word in this context for the foreign extremists) were behind the attack, and they would not let this act of brutality divide Iraq."

Robbins considers the destruction of the shrines "an act of desperation," on the part of foreign fighters, i.e. al Qaeda, whose "Sunni tribal supporters — without whom they cannot prosecute their insurgency — have begun turning against them" lately. And "in the al-Anbar capital of Ramadi, once a Zarqawi stronghold, open warfare has erupted between the local insurgent groups and the foreign fighters, particularly after the assassination of respected local tribal leader Sheikh Naser Abdul Karim al-Miklif."

Finally, "despite panicky headlines to the contrary, it is not in any group’s interest to wage full scale civil war in Iraq." To this I add that I don't blame those who fear the worst, however, more msm coverage of the Robbins kind and this kind might give us the whole story, so as to weigh the information and make informed decisions.

*Note, my usage of "to wit," may be misplaced, but my brain refused to come up with anything but. Apologies to those who know better.