Happy Anniversary II

I thought I'd posted this here, but that was during my twitter years. I missed it when it was published, but it's become my favorite NYT piece on Iraq. From 2004:

Sunni-Shiite Cooperation Grows, Worrying U.S. Officials

The Falluja situation represents an emerging level of Shiite-Sunni cooperation unheard of in the year-old occupation and maybe even the modern history of Iraq. Saddam Hussein exploited divisions between the two sectarian groups. So did many other Iraqi leaders. When American soldiers invaded the country a year ago, preventing a civil war between Shiites, who make up the majority, and Sunnis, who used to hold all the power, was one of the Bush administration's chief concerns.

But now that the resistance is heating up, spreading from town to town, the Sunnis and Shiites are drawing together. American military leaders say they have been watching closely.

"The danger is we believe there is a linkage that may be occurring at the very lowest levels between the Sunni and Shi'a," Lt. General Ricardo Sanchez, commander of the occupation forces, said today. "We have to work very hard to ensure that it remains at the tactical level."

He also said the call for unity is "clearly an attempt to take advantage of the situation." 

If Sunni-Shiite cooperation was a problem, then maybe the US wasn't interested in democracy in Iraq, or anywhere else.

I'm sick of watching wall-to-wall sympathy for white refugees, but I don't have control of the TV. I've still seen no mention of Iraq. It's almost impressive. Even on the left, the cynicism is lacking. 

I'd forgotten the author.