What do you think would happen if the US left Iraq.

[DeepIron]

Originally Posted by Mikhayl

I think that after a few more bloody years Iraq will slowly split into 3 countries, Chi'ites backed by Iran, Sunnis messing with Al Qaeda, and Kurds. Actually I can imagine that happening with or without US presence

A year or so back wasn't this suggested? I found an article from November of '06 that discussed the idea. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1555130,00.html\

Quoting from that article:

"Most Iraqis do not want civil war. But they have rejected the idea of a unified Iraq. In the December 2005 national elections, Shi'ites voted overwhelmingly for Shi'ite religious parties, Sunni Arabs for Sunni religious or nationalist parties, and the Kurds for Kurdish nationalist parties. Fewer than 10% of Iraq's Arabs crossed sectarian lines. The Kurds voted 98.7% for independence in a nonbinding referendum."

I can understand wanting a unified Iraq, but given the deeply rooted religious and social differences, I can't see it happening anytime soon. Nor can I see the US using force to reconcile the issues either.