'A Defining Moment In Iraq'

[SirNitram]

A few days ago I posted that Sadr had called for the violence to halt between his militia and Maliki's sudden thrust. Bush called the Iraqi-led op 'A defining moment in Iraq'. If it is.. And perhaps it is so.. It's worth looking at what it defined.

The affair started with a high-stakes gamble by Maliki: Retake power from Sadr after his forces began protesting their elected representatives got sidelined in the government. And by 'protesting', I mean they basically tried to bring all activity in what amounts to Sadr's city to a halt.

Maliki, aware of his bad position and that there's been no progress on reconciliation(And that the Awakening tribes are getting really antsy because the American's stopped paying them), decides he'll use the Iraqi army to put down this demonstration and prove he's got what it takes. Violence ensues.

The US military is caught by surprise, and seems to have focused on defending the Green Zone and dispatching air power to assist the push. Understandable, given that such a counterinsurgency op is very complex, and Maliki used a 72 hour deadline.

Fighting spread, particularly to Basra. Following the Iraqi army giving up vehicles and munitions apparently without a fight, British withdrawls of the 4,000 remaining Overwatch troops have been halted.

Now, apparently, by this point a collection of lawmakers headed across the northern border to the Iranian holy city of Qom, where Sadr himself is pursuing religious studies. There, with the aid of Brig. General Qassem Suleimani, commander of the Qods brigades of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, they negotiated with Sadr to get him to tell his forces to step down.

Yes, I said Qods.