Is Iraq Forming Its Own Identity?

While we'd like to think of progress in Iraq as simply this or that additional province being checked off as independent and secure, the formation of a secured nation and national identity coming out from under the cloak of Saddam's oppressive and divisive totalitarianism is going to be an amorphous process which happens slowly over time. This latest on exporting the Anbar model into Shiite areas at least gives cause for hope.

U.S. Expands Anbar Model to Iraq Shiites

Sheik Majid Tahir al-Magsousi, the leader of the Migasees tribe here in Wasit province, acknowledged tribal leaders have discussed creating a brigade of young men trained by the Americans to bolster local security as well as help patrol the border with Iran.

He also said last week's assassination of Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, who spearheaded the Sunni uprising against al-Qaida in Anbar province, only made the Shiite tribal leaders more resolute.

"The death of Sheik Abu Risha will not thwart us," he said. "What matters to us is Iraq and its safety."

The movement by Shiite clan leaders is still in the early stages but offers the potential to give U.S. and Iraqi forces another tactical advantage in curbing lawlessness in Shiite areas. It also would give the Americans another resource as they beef up their presence on the border with Iran, which the military accuses of arming and training Shiite extremists.

Similar alliances with Sunni tribes in the western Anbar province helped break the grip of groups such as al-Qaida in Iraq and were widely cited in the Washington hearings as a major military success this year.

Comments

[CK MacLeod]

If you haven't already read Kilcullen's SMALL WARS JOURNAL article, then you should - for background and detail on the actual and potential roles of Iraqi tribalism in finally getting the situation right It's not just a way to fight extremists or speed up self-defense, but in the political context it may provide a more or less uniquely Iraqi "check and balance" for the ethnosectarian and other forces potentially that always seem on the verge of either pulling Iraq apart or forcing it into Saddam-like authoritarianism.

http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2007/08/anatomy-of-a-tribal-revolt/

It sounds speculative and theoretical - until you consider the extent to which it's already working in the way Kilcullen envisions.