Theodore Dalrymple's essay, forwarded by Sam Harris, is an outstanding contribution to understanding Islam's history and current status. It set me to wondering anew what kind of theocracy we may end up supporting in Baghdad. Hope it's not a pure Shiite religious state, but probably will be. Will that be better than Saddam's quasi-secular Sunni tyranny? A durable secular Iraq, as now geographically (and artificially) defined, is probably beyond the reach of any conceivable U.S. policy, at least in the "short run" of most people now alive.
