There is much good news and information coming from Iraq, as you can tell from a brief (or even a prolonged) visit to the web site of the Multi-National Force - Iraq.  I get the MNF newsletter and visit the web site regularly.

However, there is also disturbing news that still comes from Iraq.  The Washington Post had an article some time back on the resurgence of Kurdish nationalism.  There is a strong Kurhish population in Turkey, and in fact Turkish troops have been inside Iraq before (Turkey fears that Kurdish elements in Turkey and Iraq might unite to form a de facto nation).

The Seattle Times has hints of sectarianism building in Iraq, and there are undercurrents of a push for regional rule in Iraq.

But is is very difficult to imagine an Iraq without a stable and strong central government that is anything but a puppet of Iran.  Let’s remember what Iran’s position is on Iraq, straight from an editorial from one of Iran’s hard line newspapers:

“The American defeat and withdrawal from Iraq will forever bury the Neoconservative current in the U.S.,…while the formation of an Islamist state in Iraq, which will be a natural ally of the Islamic Republic of Iran and will form a contiguous link between Iran and Palestine through Syria and Lebanon, will bring about a sea change in the geo-strategic balance in the region in favour of Iran and to America’s detriment. This new alliance with its huge size will directly influence all developments in the Arab and Muslim Middle East�.

There are even those in the U.S. who seem to have aquiesced to the idea of withdrawing to the more stable and peaceful north and avoiding the civil war that seems to be inevitable.  Here at the Captain’s Journal I have been a hard line advocate for more troops, faster action, more force, and a complete wipeout of the insurgency.

It still seems to me to be a better option, given that the Iranian problem looms large in our sights.  We must win in Iraq — and ultimately turning Iran back from its regional hegemony will be an integral part of this victory.  Otherwise, there will be no victory.

The Iraqi PM must represent all of the Iraqis, and the Shiite insurgency must be ended, by force if necessary.

Finally, the border with Iran must be sealed completely.