No Clean, Neat Endings

Charles Krauthammer reminds us (and others are probably learning for the first time), that post war instability is the norm and that there is nothing unusual about the insurrections in Iraq.

Yes, Iraq is a mess. Postwar settlements almost invariably are. Particularly in a country where the removal of a totalitarian dictator leaves a total political vacuum. Of course there are difficulties and dangers ahead, and no guarantee of success. But the transition to Iraqi rule is under way. The first critical step has just been taken.