> I do _not_ think that Iraqis are incapable of self-government at all,
> much less "demonstrably" so. It's the US invasion that destroyed the
> functioning state, and it's the US occupation that is seeking to prevent
> any Iraqi social force capable of practicing self-government from
> stepping into the power vacuum created by the "regime change." The USG
> doesn't want to "walk out" of Iraq, because, unlike Afghans, Iraqis -- be
> they Sunnis, Shiites, or Kurds -- are much better organized than the USG
> would like:
I'd like to point out that this "functioning state" was fascist dictatorship, run with the goal of enriching its core leaders at the expense of its people. If the Iraqis develop self-governance, terrific. It'll take a long time, however, and what happens in the meantime?