Blast hits the Al Askari Shrine in Iraq...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6747419.stm

Man...this is gonna be bad. Such an attack will only serve to exacerbate Sunni-Shia tensions in Iraq. Naurally people are gonna ask why the heck wasn't the shrine protected as it was already targetted last year. My guess is that an infiltrator managed to get into the shrine and plant the explosives. Also I don't think US troops were allowed to protect the shrine or place troops near the shrine as it would have affronted the Shias. Iraqi police/army units are still not independent or strong enough to take aggressive defensive roles and frankly many of their units have been penetrated by spies, insurgents, and sabatoeurs.

What does this mean? It means that security in Iraq is still a huge problem even after 4 years. The fact is that no matter how hard the Iraqi government tries to appeal for calm and promises a government that is representative of all the people in Iraq, the reality is different. Sunnis, who are a minority population and who were once the elite and holders of power cannot reconcile with the fact that they are now in 2nd place. Let's face it, when you are used to being on the top, you can't tolerate a lower position. Sunnis are also worried that most of the oil rich areas on Iraq are located in Shia dominated areas and thus they will be economically disadvantaged. Shias, who are the majority, have finally achieved political power and want to avenge their years of submission, huuliation, and torture at the hands of Saddam Hussein, and they are doing so by solidifying their power and making it felt. Kurds, on the other hand, are virtually autonomous and could care less about the central government in Baghdad. Basically Iraq is still missing that political, economic, and social inclusiveness that can help forge a stronger and united country.

This is a very sensitive and emotional conflict, a conflict with no front lines, and a conflict where people and institutions are deliberately targetted. Adding to the conflict is the US military presence. People often argue that US military presence exacerbates the conflict while some argue that that it actually prevents the conflict from spiraling out of control. We'll never know until the mission in Iraq ends, and then we can evaluate US performance. But for that to happen the US has to give a timetable for withdrawing its troops. Why? Because people in Iraq are tired of being occupied. There's no way to sugar coat an occupation. No one likes being occupied by a foreign power forever.

In any case, what we are seeing is a deliberate attempt to sabotage any chances of peace in Iraq. It can also be an attempt to force the US to engage against Iran who naturally will be very angry with the destruction of the holiest Shia shrine and force the latter to take more aggressive actions.

We shall have to see the political fallout from this terrible act...