The regular media caricature of Iraqi society is not even a parody. It is very common indeed to find mixed and intermarried families, and these loyalties and allegiances outweigh anything that can be mustered by a Jordanian jailbird who has bet everything on trying to ignite a sectarian war. Second, it means in the not very long run that the so-called insurgency can be politically isolated and militarily defeated. It already operates within a minority of a minority and is largely directed by unpopular outsiders.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Iraqi society is mixed and not divided along sectarian lines, making the insurgency an unpopular minority effort.
- In plain terms
- Iraqi families mix across groups so the insurgency is weak.
- What can you take from it?
- Sectarianism may be overstated compared to reality.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What shapes social loyalty?
- How accurate are media portrayals?
Another view
Sectarian tensions do exist.
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