Fixing Iraq's Problem

I recruited a new member to my blog, one who will bring a more political perspective to this blog, politics being his forte. Here are some thoughts that occurred to him recently...
Many have complained of the lack of progress in Baghdad and state that Iraq’s politicians are not willing to compromise in order to reach political agreement. People claim that Iraq’s communities cannot live together and should therefore be softly partitioned and that Iraq cannot be resolved militarily so people should give up on Iraq.
It is true there is not a wholly military solution to Iraq’s crisis, nor can reconciliation be reached between Iraq’s disparate communities until a major obstacle has been overcome, lack of trust. The sad fact is there is no trust between Iraq ’s politicians which is translating into politically and ethnically motivated violence on the streets of Baghdad . I think it is high time that Iraqis forget about the past both distant and recent, forget about their identities and ask themselves a simple question, do they continue to want to live in an Iraq for all Iraqis?
The most dangerous thing is for communities to start comparing suffering, especially if one community tries to have a trademark on suffering and continue to feel oppressed today. Injustice only begets further injustice, oppression only fosters underground revolutions, and suffering ingrains hatred. In order for Iraq to move forward we must overcome these issues as Iraqis, even if our politicians fail to do so, and say in a loud voice that we forgive one another and wish to live peaceably together. Then and only then, can we overcome the obstacles standing in the way of true reconciliation. Dwelling on the past only hinders one's ability to create a vision for the future.
These are a few thoughts I had while sitting in on some meetings attended by all of Iraq’s major players, realizing that beneath the niceties there lies a true lack of trust embodied by the security presence of each and every member present.