On 8/4/06, Jim Devine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
from SLATE:
>Friedman Flips…
>With his "six-month window"[*] for Iraq apparently now over...
But, but, Britain's outgoing ambassador to Iraq says "the next six
months are crucial"
From the BBC:
The bleak assessment of the country's future was contained in Mr
Patey's final e-cable, or diplomatic telegram, from Baghdad.
Mr Patey wrote: "The prospect of a low intensity civil war and a de
facto division of Iraq is probably more likely at this stage than a
successful and substantial transition to a stable democracy.
"Even the lowered expectation of President Bush for Iraq - a
government that can sustain itself, defend itself and govern itself
and is an ally in the war on terror - must remain in doubt."
If people are determined to kill one another because of a Sunni/Shia
divide there is not a lot that can be done
The cable says that "the next six months are crucial" - an assessment
which is shared by the coalition's military commanders.
--
Sandwichman
