Brutal War of Intimidation

"Jihad" IS TWISTED INTO REVENGE, RETALIATION, AND KILL-FOR-PAY

The view remains mixed. Some reports suggest that violence in the North (Dialya, especially) is down, but the campaigns of intimidation remain undiminished. Reports for the State Department on the progress of "reconstruction" last week all came in "not where it should be" and "not where we expected to be at this time", but, naturally, everyone is "guardedly optimistic".

Roggio reports suggest that 'the enemy' continue to make ample use of their force multipliers, with kidnapping going on at false checkpoints (i.e., tearing at the fabric of trust that civil society requires).

FORCE MULTIPLIERS

Newsweek covers the graphic brutality, here (our soldiers see this and the people who have become 'accustomed' to such violence - heart of darkness, anyone?).

Many attacks are still focused on any nail that sticks out its head. The "Awakening Councils" have all drawn fire - of all types, drive-by, etc. Some more have formed, recently, but this effort is hardly moving ahead without serious casualties.

THE POWER-STRUGGLE WITH 'THE MOSQUES' - MIDDLE CLASS DEVASTATED

The LA Times shows the slope of the hill for what remains:

Years of political turmoil, U.S.-imposed sanctions and war have devastated Iraq's workforce. Hundreds of thousands of skilled professionals have left the country. Businesses have closed. Insurgents and thugs have targeted professors, doctors and businesspeople, killing them, abducting them or driving them out of their jobs and out of Iraq.

Even as sectarian violence subsides, the options are limited for those who remain.

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