"Iraq" was artificially cobbled together by Europeans. The Kurds, for one, never had the slightest desire to be part of it--their dream was always a Kurdistan.

The sectarian violence since the fall of Saddam, partly abetted by outsiders, but mostly homegrown, just feeds on itself--and is now complicated by feuds and turf battles between   Shiite fighters.

And the oil question is absolutely paramount--as I've said for many months--used to debate this with Teribus-- , the Sunnis cannot afford even a de facto, not de jure breakup of Iraq--they need to be guaranteed oil revenues from outside their region of Iraq.

But what exactly the "Coalition" can do to help solve any of this is questionable.