Finally, a large number of American and Iraqi scholars, leaders and policy analysts have determined the obvious: yes, we have a civil war in Iraq, and it has existed for a long time.
Anyone with a sense of history knows that when a country is being torn apart by contending internal forces (two or more) and the government is largely dysfunctional and, above all, incapable of quashing the effort, that is civil war. Hardly rocket science. Add to the mix what historians recognize as ââ?¬Å?an insurgency,ââ?¬Â one that is remarkably successful and gaining in strength by the day. Maybe we are getting better.
After years of denial in Vietnam, we recognized reality ââ?¬â? and left. Does that mean ââ?¬Å?cut and runââ?¬Â? Can we move beyond President Bushââ?¬â?¢s clichÃ?©s and manipulative language and simply say we must leave a situation that we cannot control?
Stanley I. Kutler
The writer is emeritus professor of history and law at the University of Wisconsin.