would the elimination of the al-Sadr militia and/or removal of Maliki

[LSK]

Would that reduce the sectarian violence going on in Baghdad???

Yes I know how Maliki was "democratically" elected and all but I think at this point the only goal is to keep people alive.

So is al-Sadr the primary source of the Sunni ethnic cleansing going on??? Would his removal calm things down?

I just keep thinking about this clusterfuck and what could be the answer and how do you prevent this war exploding over its borders?

This is all soooo FUBAR.

[Lord Byron]

1. How come we never hear about the troubles Sunnis face?

The news always ignores it. Is there anyone reporting it?

[Disturbed]

2. Maliki was selected by his Party.

Iraq has a Parliamentery System.

Removing him or al Sadr and his Malitia wouldn't change the Civil War or the fact that a majority of Iraqis want the US/UK Occupation to end.

[atreides1]

3. No

First of all wiping out a militia that numbers between 20 to 30 thousand would be a little diffcult,
because the more you kill the more that will take their place.

You can't kill al-Sadr because then you create a martyr, and as far as Maliki is concerned, they can always find another puppet to pretend that he's in charge.

[LSK]

7. good points

[Disturbed]

4. Maliki was selected by his Party.

Iraq has a Parliamentary System.

Removing him or al Sadr and his Militia wouldn't change the Civil War or the fact that a majority of Iraqis want the US/UK Occupation to end.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

5. How about the removal of all militia.

What a concept, no militia.

[Rick Myers]

6. I heard yesterday, possibly on Al Franken, that...

The US has a secret 'impeachment' plan built into all the various agreements that prop up Makiki! The guest wasn't too specific about it. Of course, Dubya can just call Daddy's pal Negroponte and have an 'impeachment squad' sent over to handle the problem!!! :grr:

[jody]

8. One can eliminate Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army on the surface but it will remain an effective

political and militia force. The sectarian conflict has been going on for over 1,300 years and no foreign, Christian crusader is going to come in and reconcile the differences.

IMO, the best that can be gained in the short-term is for temporary cessation of open conflict until the occupying Christian forces leave. Then the Shi'a and Sunni will settle their differences with the sword just as they have done for a millennium.

[Buck Rabbit]

9. Ethnic clensing is in large part not Mahdi but Badr Corp.

Al Hakim's boys tn the Iraqi Army and Police Force. The ones the American Military can't seem to get trained when in reality they already are trained but simply have a different set of priorities and loyalties. The men in uniforms who come at night and take people away are more feared than the Mahdi Army by the Sunni bloggers I have read.

Frankly, Al Sadr was once called the good Shiite by the Sunnis for quite some time. His enemy was the Americans not the Sunnis and he was a Nationalist who didn't want Iraq to be a puppet state of Iran, America or any foreign power. But the Mahdi Army has been pulled into the sectarian fray as Sadr City has often been the target of sectarian violence, and it is loosely organized and not fully under his control.

If I were to guess at the best way to end the Sectarian violence it would roughly be:

1- Establish a phased 6 month time table for withdraw the bulk of American Military forces.

2- Disband the Iraqi Army and National police force.

3- Set up community policing with local residents protecting their own. Reassign the bulk of the now former soldiers to be policemen in their own neighborhoods without the right to carry ams outside of their districts.

4- Recruit a UN force to defend each community police district when attacked by outsiders.

5- Kick out the foreign contractors and pay local Iraqi employers for multitudes of small scale projects upon completion. (Create local jobs.)

Rough plan, but better than Bush's.