Thursday, April 24, 2008

The Purge


One of the clearest signs of victory in a counterinsurgency is when the
insurgents lay down their arms to join the political process. href="http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSL0434078820080424">style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Reuters reports that the Sunnis are
formally getting set to rejoin the government.



BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Parties that walked out of Iraq's government last year
have agreed to rejoin, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Thursday, in what
could amount to a long-awaited political breakthrough.

The main Sunni Arab bloc, the Accordance Front, said it intended to submit a
list of candidates for cabinet positions within days and could be back in
Maliki's government soon. Its return has been a major goal of the United
States.


This development doesn't mean plain sailing, but it is a beginning. The
reality is that each political faction will have to be purged of its extremist
elements, often by members of the same community.

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