Civil war in Iraq is daunting

As the situation on the ground in Iraq goes from bad to worse, politicians, the military, media and academia continue to debate whether it is a civil war or something less horrific.

The Dictionary of 20th Century World Politics defines ?civil war? as ?A fratricidal conflict between military forces of the same state or political entity, sometimes termed an internal war ? usually occurs when a government, for one reason or another, has lost legitimacy or when divisions in a state [for example, between rival ethnic groups] can no longer be worked out through the normal political process.?

Given the rising crescendo of carnage and chaos, vitriol and violence in Iraq, orchestrated by rival Shiite and Sunni militias, it sure looks like a civil war to me.?

Ironically, while politicians, pundits and others debate what to call it, the war in Iraq continues to take a heavy toll, on Iraqis, civilian and military, and on our own American forces.?As of this writing, nearly 3,000 brave Americans have been killed in Iraq, many thousands more have been wounded, some of them maimed for life.

Whatever we call it, war is hell. It always has been and always will be.

The nature of the war in Iraq has changed dramatically since it began in 2003. The stunning successes of the first phase of the war have long been replaced by a multitude of missteps that have brought us to our current dilemma.

The nature of the enemy has also changed dramatically.?Saddam Hussein has been captured, charged, convicted and sentenced.?Zarqawi and other key Al-Qaida operatives in Iraq are dead and gone.?Still, the violence rages on, growing more senseless and more destructive day by day.

Iraq?s descent into deadly civil war creates new and daunting challenges, for Iraq?s fledgling government, for the region beyond Iraq?s borders, and for the USA. That accounts for the recent flurry of diplomatic activity by President Bush and others, all designed with peace in mind.?It also accounts for the eagerly awaited release of the bipartisan Baker-Hamilton report on what to do about Iraq.

Barring some miraculous breakthrough in Iraq, we seem to be coming down to no good options.?Somewhere between ?Stay the course? and ?Cut and run? there may be a viable alternative.?If so, we need to find it, the sooner the better.?As I have said before, we helped liberate the Iraqis from the tyranny of Saddam Hussein. We cannot liberate the Iraqis from the tyranny of themselves. ?

Meanwhile, I think we need to reappraise our foreign policies regarding spreading democracy and nation-building. This should be a bipartisan, realistic reappraisal that recognizes the fragility of freedom and the futility of nation-building in the midst of a civil war. It should also recognize that the principles and practices of democracy are best taught by example, not just by exhortation.?

Finally, it should recognize that nation-building, like charity, should begin at home.?After all, America, the bright shining example of the democratic experiment, remains a work in progress.

Thomas B. Vaughn is a professor at Motlow College and co-host of the radio show ?Viewpoints,? which airs on WCPI 91.3 FM.