A broken Iraq

Iraq is broken. It’s broken because it was never fixed.

While there is much that can be blamed on the US there is also just as much blame for the Iraqi politicians left in charge. They have proved themselves to be thoroughly incapable of building democratic, accountable institutions. Corruption is endemic.

And if that wasn’t bad enough this year has seen a huge increase in sectarian violence, much of it due to a campaign of bombings by al-Qaeda in Iraq. The United Nations estimates that more than 5,000 civilians have died this year alone.

There are dangers of a rapid descent in Iraq towards another sectarian civil war.

Military actions have not solved the deep rooted problems of this nation, and in fact have contributed to a degree of destruction and pain that cannot be measured in dollars or lives lost.

Cry out to God for the nation. The failure to build a democratic system of government is not the root of the problem. The corruption of the powers controlling the nation is not the root of the problem. These are evidences of a greater problem, the absence of faith that encourages hope in the Living God.