Feedback on Iraq "war" panel

[trof]

The Sunday panel discussion on the Iraq "war" I wrote about Saturday came off pretty well. I was part of a 4 person panel discussing the situation in Iraq. How and why we got there, what we do now, what happens after we've gone (if ever), etc.

There were about 30 members of the South Baldwin (County, AL) Democratic Club in attendance. Not a bad turnout considering that we're in a predominantly repub county and the rainy windy weather.

I led off with a brief (very brief) history of that part of the middle east.
Especially interesting to me and the audience was what caused the creation of the split between the Sunni and Shi'ite sects. When the Prophet Mohammed died in 632, his top followers elected Abu Bakr to become "caliph", or successor. Most Muslims supported him to lead the Islamic faith. They are the Sunnis.
However, Mohammed's relative (?) and son-in-law, Ali Ibn Abu Talib, argued that caliphs should be blood relatives of the prophet. This group took their name from the Arabic phrase "Shia'tu Ali", meaning "party of Ali, and became the Shi'ias.
In 656, this split led to civil war between the factions and the outnumbered Shi'ias fled to the frontiers of the Islamic empire into what is now Iraq.

Thus, in Iraq the Shi'ias are the majority and the Sunnis the minority, just the reverse of the rest of the Islamic world. Today about two thirds of Iraq's population is Shi'ite and about 20% is Sunni.

There was some good back and forth, questions and comments from the audience.
One in particular:
A guy said one reason we're so screwed up in the middle east is "we" (the gov, military, etc.) don't have people who speak Arabic, Farsi, etc.
A young woman stood up and answered him. Turns out she is with the diplomatic corps in Nigeria. She said we do have such people, but requests and comments to Washington must be carefully couched in terms that at least appear to be supportive of W*s (and the neocons') policies or "they just don't hear you".
Interesting, but not too surprising I guess.
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions the other day.

p.s. Do any of you smart people know if there's a difference between the terms "Shi'ite" and "Shi'ia", "Shi'ites" and "Shi'ias"?
Thanks.

[trof]

1. Kick for some smart people.

Still lookin'.

[Jacobin]

2. I'll kick it

Don't know the answer to the question, but found the history to be interesting.

I'm glad you had this discussion panel. Education of voters in general I think is a wonderful antidote to the Limbaugh/Hannity doltishness