The Mustache of Understanding:
The reason the Iraq war was, is and will remain important is that it created the first chance for Arab Sunnis and Shiites to do something they have never done in modern history: surprise us and freely write their own social contract for how to live together and share power and resources. If they could do that, in the heart of the Arab world, and actually begin to ease the intra-communal struggle within Islam, it would be a huge example for others. It would mean that any Arab country could be a democracy and not have to be held together by an iron fist from above.
But it will be impossible without Iraqi Shiite and Sunni Mandelas ready to let the future bury the past.
What’s strange about this is that previously Friedman told me that there were three bubbles, one of which was a terrorism bubble. And the reason the Iraq War was important was that we needed to go over to Iraq and take out a very big stick and travel from Baghdad to Basra telling the people there to suck on it. This, he told me, was the way to pop the terrorism bubble. We could have done this in Pakistan or somewhere else, but we chose Iraq because we could do it easily. But, now, he tells me that the war in Iraq is important because it will teach Muslims of different sects to get along with each other.
I’d also like to point out that asking if we should care about what goes on in Iraq “now that we’re leaving,” is a half a Friedman Unit short of six-pack. We’re not leaving.