Over the past month, surge architect Fred Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute has rejected the idea that the drop in violence in Baghad that has coincided with the surge has been the result of the completion of large-scale sectarian cleansing and the division of Shias and Sunnis into separate enclaves. At least twice in the past month, Kagan has referred to this as “a myth,” first on the PBS NewsHour on March 11, and again at an AEI panel on March 24.
Here’s what Kagan said on the NewsHour:
Well, there’s a magnificent myth out there…that there are no mixed areas in Iraq anymore and that the cleansing is completed.[...]
Now, [sectarian neighborhoods] are more consolidated than they had been before, certainly. At a low level, you certainly have seen that kind of consolidation, but there is no natural dividing line between Sunni and Shia in Baghdad.
Yesterday, CNN reporter Michael Ware sat down with the Think Progress crew to discuss his experiences in Iraq, where he has reported from since before the U.S. invasion in 2003. Here’s what Ware said about the sectarian cleansing in Baghdad:
The sectarian cleansing of Baghdad has been — albeit tragic — one of the key elements to the drop in sectarian violence in the capital. [...] It’s a very simple concept: Baghdad has been divided; segregated into Sunni and Shia enclaves. The days of mixed neighborhoods are gone. [...] If anyone is telling you that the cleansing of Baghdad has not contributed to the fall in violence, then they either simply do not understand Baghdad or they are lying to you.
Watch it:
Transcript: Read more
