The End of Iraq?

The departure of the last US combat brigade from Iraq means that, hopefully, no more Americans will die in Iraq. The problem is that Iraq doesn't have a real government. Nouri Al Maliki's Shiite regime is turning into a klepto-theocracy. That country is more divided than ever along ethnic and religious lines. Iraq will eventually fall apart just like Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. Those three countries were created at the end of World War I by politicians and diplomats who thought it "logical" to draw this border here and that border there. But they neglected to consult with the people who were going to live under the new arrangements. So it's no surprise that these "invented" states eventually collapsed.

When the end does come it's not going to be pretty. But hopefull we will learn the lesson we should have learned back in 1975. We have no business telling other countries how to manage their affairs.