Teaching peace in Iraq

The New York Times this morning is reporting on how the handling of Saddam Hussein's execution is causing concern. You can read the UPI summary report in World Peace Herald, or go to the story in the New York Times. (We need your traffic more than they do.)

Many countries have political cultures that have former presidents and dictators being forced into exile, imprisoned, or killed. I think one reason leaders in some countries declare themselves "president for life" is that they know their lives are going to end at the end of their term one way or another.

U.S. officials are frustrated that the Maliki government fails to see how its behavior is "driving the country toward an abyss," the Times said. (UPI)

It is clear that the U.S. needs to make an aggressive effort to educate the Maliki government and Shiite religious leaders about this abyss and the implications of falling into it. If the situation deteriorates into an all out Shiite-Sunni civil war, neither will win. If that civil war deteriorates even further into a war between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran, the whole world will lose.

It is in the interest of the United States and other major world powers to bring the major factions in Iraq to a point where they can decide to get along. Perhaps what is needed in Iraq today is not more troops but more people trained in conflict resolution.