Joel Wing argues that the violence this month is nothing out of the ordinary:
January obviously marks an increase in activity for insurgent groups. Now that the United States has withdrawn its forces, and the government is stuck in its latest crisis, the media and some pundits seem to be caught up in characterizing Iraq as unraveling. This ignores the fact that this January mirrors last January in terms of deaths and security incidents, and that Iraq’s politicians have been in one long drawn out dispute since the March 2010 elections. When the month is over, attacks will likely go back to what they were the month before as they have done in the past, and the political parties will continue to argue. Despite all that, life goes on in Iraq. Violence is not as widespread as it use to be, and many Iraqis go about their business no longer affected by it. January unfortunately, is one of those months that militants mark on their calendars each year to try to do their best at killing as many as possible, and sow as much chaos as possible.
(Photo: Iraqis walk past a damaged vehicle close to a mosque following a wave of attacks prior to the storming a police compound in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi, on January 15, 2012. By Azhar Shallal/AFP/Getty Images)
The Dish 