When is it time to call what is going on in Iraq a “civil war”?

[underpants]

A ) When a bunch of provinces band together to secede from the union.
B ) When each side picks its own song.
C ) When Rumsfeld says, “Is it a civil war? No.”
D ) When the daily carnage reaches such a horrendous level that it no longer merits front page coverage.
E ) Now.


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[Dr.Phool]

1. Maybe 6 months ago.

[Vincardog]

2. Didn't you get the Talking Points? The Civil War starts AFTER We Leave

until then it is INSURGENCY.

We have to fight the Insurgency there
so they do not have to fight the Civil War here.

WE can't sell it if we can't keep on message. In case you did not notice this is filled with :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[lostinacause]

3. It really isn't a civil war if America is the one who instigated the war

and has been participating in it the whole time.

[endarkenment]

4. well it is a civil war and has been for quite a long time

The shiite faction is using our army as their proxy in the three way civil war between the major ethnic divisions of shiite, sunni, and kurd. Very smart of the shiites: they have all the big guns. Very stupid of us: we are establishing Greate Shiistan, or Greater Persia, or whatever you want to call it, we have played right into the hands of the Iranians.

[lostinacause]

6. Division does not necessarily mean that the war is a civil war.

I have already characterized why the war is not a civil war. We could also look to the insurgency in France when Hitler invaded and see divisions between the people; namely on what to do given the circumstances. This too would not be a civil war, but rather an insurgency.

[endarkenment]

7. The divisions in France were not regional and ethnic.

Although yes, to a certain extent, the Resistance was fighting a civil war against the Vicy regime and its supporters as well as against the german occupying forces. The difference in Iraq is that the three-way division that pre-existed our stupid invasion was inevitably going to blow up into regional ethnic conflict. France had long ago settled its major regional conflicts (by murdering all of the protestants), so that fuel of civil war did not exist. What remains to be seen is how widespread the regional conflict will become. My guess is that it will in fact become very widespread, encompassing Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. We've lit the fuse. Brilliant.

[Yupster]

5. When the Sadr militia

is called to mobilize and attacks the Sunni Triangle. Then you'll see a Civil War.

[leftofthedial]

8. when we're certain that the whole gamut of violence on both sides

is not being perpetrated by mercenaries and special forces.