Hello Reality, Goodbye Oil

Juan Cole, as always the go to guy for the straight skinny in what is going on in Iraq and the Middle East in general has an excellent post up at Truthdig. The post covers in detail how the Shiite majority in Iraq has used the 2003 invansion to bolster and consolidate their power in Iraq and how ultimately the real winner in Iraq is Iran. If you want to understand the dynamics of the processes at play in Iraq you have to read Professor Cole regularly.

The Bush administration naively believed that Iraq was a blank slate on which it could inscribe its vision for a remake of the Arab world. Iraq, however, was a witches’ brew of dynamic social and religious movements, a veritable pressure cooker. When George W. Bush invaded, he blew off the lid.