Everybody talks about the great artificiality of the existing borders in the Middle East…remnants of early 20thC colonialism. Now I am not sure that I would expect anything tremendously thoughtful from the US Armed Forces Journal, but there is some interesting points raised in this article. It strongly supports the partition of Iraq and condemns the US for gutlessly not pursuing such an option initially when there was an opportunity. Nonetheless, many of the other adjustments proposed seem to smack of a need to establish chain of client states carefully balanced by their adherence to western (read US) interests. Moreover, there is a tenor of assumption that Iran should be carved up and that there is not that self-determination is not respected. Nonetheless this is a wonderful exercise, even if the conclusion smacks of the omnipresent black and white appreciation of the situation describing states as in one of two camps as a result of the shifts – winners or losers.
