Civil War

noun

1. A war between factions or regions of the same country.
2. A state of hostility or conflict between elements within an organization: "The broadcaster is in the midst of a civil war that has brought it to the brink of a complete management overhaul" Bill Powell.
3. Civil War The war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy from 1861 to 1865. Also called War Between the States.
4. Civil War The war in England between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists from 1642 to 1648.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Lets start by saying there ain't nothin' civil about a Civil War.

It's the international equivalent of the beat cop's bane; domestic dispute. Every beat cop knows that walking into a domestic dispute is one of the most dangerous parts of the job. You run the risk of both sides attacking you. One minute everything will seem to be going fine, and then you get blind sided.

"Some folks" don't see it as a civil war in Iraq. "Some folks" ignore the Sunni versus Shiite animosities that have led to daily car bombings, suicide bombers in mosques and vigilante militias patrolling neighborhood streets.

And then there are the various groups within the Sunni and Shiite camps, fighting for power within their respective groups.

Unfortunately, the "some folks" who ignore this 85% share of the issue in Iraq are our leaders. There are none so blind as those who will not see. (The functional word in that is "will".)

The bottom line is, you can't win someone else's Civil War!

Anyone who suggests for a moment that there is a way to win someone else's Civil War is naive at best and dangerous at worst.

Unlike a domestic dispute where the cop and separate the parties involved and enforce a cooling off period - civil wars are domestic disputes that are out of control. The best strategy in a civil war is to let both sides duke it out and talk to the last one standing.

"But what about the neighbors?", you say. In this case they may support one side or the other - as the Iranians support the Shiite factions and the Saudis support the Sunnis - but ask yourself this - are they any less likely to find themselves in an untenable position if they intervene directly in the Iraqi civil war than we have found ourselves?