NationStates Jolt Archive

It seems the president isn't the only one disconnected from reality:
Q: Is the country closer to a civil war?

SEC. RUMSFELD: Oh, I don't know. You know, I thought about that last night, and just musing over the words, the phrase, and what constitutes it. If you think of our Civil War, this is really very different. If you think of civil wars in other countries, this is really quite different. There is -- there is a good deal of violence in Baghdad and two or three other provinces, and yet in 14 other provinces there's very little violence or numbers of incidents. So it's a -- it's a highly concentrated thing. It clearly is being stimulated by people who would like to have what could be characterized as a civil war and win it, but I'm not going to be the one to decide if, when or at all.
Full article: http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2006/tr20060725-13522.html

So let's just check some other sources, and see what a civil war is.

http://www.meriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20war
civil war
Function: noun
: a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_war
A civil war is a war in which parties within the same culture, society or nationality fight for political power or control of an area. Some civil wars are also categorized as revolutions when major societal restructuring is a possible outcome of the conflict. An insurgency, whether successful or not, is likely to be classified as a civil war by some historians if, and only if, organized armies fight conventional battles. Other historians state the criteria for a civil war is that there must be prolonged violence between organized factions or defined regions of a country (conventionally fought or not).

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/civil%20war
civil war
n.
1. A war between factions or regions of the same country.
2. A state of hostility or conflict between elements within an organization: “The broadcaster is in the midst of a civil war that has brought it to the brink of a complete management overhaul” (Bill Powell).
3. Civil War The war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy from 1861 to 1865. Also called War Between the States.
4. Civil War The war in England between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists from 1642 to 1648.

So, does Iraq qualify or not? Let's see...
The CIA: CIA Officers Warn of Iraq Civil War, Contradicting Bush's Optimism (http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0122-01.htm)
Former Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi: This is the start of civil war (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1687910,00.html)
Other Iraqi officials: In Iraq, Civil War All but Declared (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq19jul19,0,886772.story?coll=la-home-headlines)
US Senator Harry Reid: Iraq devolves into 'civil war' (http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/07/20/iraq.democrats/index.html)
Former US ambassador Peter Galbraith and others: Civil war a reality, experts say (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/03/12/MNG9BHMUG81.DTL)
US citizens: Majority in U.S. Fears Iraq Civil War (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/06/AR2006030600369.html)

Well, I could post links all day, but that's not the point. Is this just an argument over semantics? I don't think so. The point is that the Bush administration has been in denial about the true state of affairs in Iraq since well before day 1 of the invasion. They won't act appropriately to the situation until they are willing to admit to what it is.

Originally Posted by Meriam-Wecster Online Dictionary
civil war
Function: noun
: a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country
Is it a civil war when rival street gangs start killing each other then?

A civil war would typically require for large, organized groups to be fighting against each other. At the moment, the people doing the killing are disorganized and dispersed. There's a sizable quantity of them, but this is not the structure of a civil war.

A civil war would typically require for large, organized groups to be fighting against each other. At the moment, the people doing the killing are disorganized and dispersed. There's a sizable quantity of them, but this is not the structure of a civil war.
I'd have to agree with that. I'm not defending the US though - they've made a total mess of it, and are barely keeping the situation under control.

Don't worry - there is no guerilla fighting going on in Iraq either, and the insurgency is still in its last throes.

Ah, to live in the head of Rumsfeld...

Isn't this all part of the ongoing "Middle east" crisis