Mohammed wakes this morning in Baghdad to the sounds of mortar shells – insistent sounds, not intermittent ones, the sounds of civil conflict. He talks with his father:
"Me: How is this mess going to resolve dad?
Dad: It is not.
Me: Are you positive? Why?
Dad: People find solutions only if they wanted to and I think many of the political players do not want a solution.
Me: Is there a chance the situation will further escalate?
Dad: Most likely yes, we are a state still run by sentiments rather than reason which means it’s a brittle state and any sentimental overreaction can turn the tide it in either direction.
Me: What kinds of challenges can make things worse?
Dad: Virtually anything … assassinating a leader, a fatwa, attack on a shrine like last time; we do not possess the institutions that can abolish the effects of severe sentimental reactions.
Me: Is there going to be no role for politics?
Dad: What politics are you talking about?! We are dealing with deeply-rooted beliefs … Yes, in politics everything is possible but with religion you find yourself before very few options to choose from and our people have mostly voted for the religious."
The old problem: religion versus politics. Mohammed’s father is wise: "America is a super power but it’s not superman. These are our problems now and America has nothing to do with it. We have to fix our mess or no one will."
The Dish 