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Interesting article roachboy.
There indeed appears to be much going on behind the scenes in Iraq, away from the spotlight of Michael Jackson, and missing debutantes in paradise. One has to wonder sometimes why so much attention paid to absolute trivialities. What is the point of a tranquilized, distracted populace?
This is my take on the article: The Kurds and the Americans are trying to establish a 'beachhead' in the north. Northern Iraq is different from the rest of Iraq for 2 reasons: 1) it is mostly free from Sunni Arab insurgent violence, 2) it is politically stable and organized. In this particular instance, the Kurds seem to be trying to consolidate power in the north by jailing ex-Baathists and other troublemakers who they (and others) see as a threat to this stability. It makes sense to me. In laying out the framework for a democratic system, it seems the forces in the region are using the north as a starting point (one of several?), with the aim of eventually working their way south.
At the same time, while the Sunni Arabs are busy trying to destroy everything in their path in central and southern Iraq, the Kurds are trying to establish a 'firewall' to keep these guys from doing the same in the north. The Americans seem to be working with the Kurds to this end, and for good reason. It is also telling that the police force is working in accordance with the 2 major political parties there; they seem to be dividing their attention somewhere between local law enforcement (social order) and larger regional priorities (consolidation of power/base of operations).
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