Iraq: Civil War?

I believe the unrest in Iraq is directly related to a civilian desire for less bloodshed. Aside from fearing Saddam's secret police, Iraqis are historically accustomed to low crime levels. 'Sectarian violence' is a general term used when the assailants are generally unknown. There are deeper connections to consider; tribal rivalries, radical demagogues (Muqtada al-Sadr, a MP, comes to mind), and a fairly green (inexperienced) security service. There is no doubt insurgents are penetrating Iraqi garrisons. It takes time to filter out loyal, skilled soldiers to fill all the ranks. But Iraq is a proud nation and I think they will create a constitutionally-loyal army. Let's hope the government doesn't dismantle the constitution.

UPDATE: This is the first line in an AP article appearing 2/24/06: Iraq's most influential Shiite political leader (Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim) called Friday for Sunni-Shiite unity as religious figures sought to calm passions and pull the nation from the brink of civil war...

We haven't approached the precipice of civil war, yet.