Iraq and Afghanistan On the Brink

The fighting in Iraq continues to get ever more dangerous as the country teeters on the brink of civil war. Last week, as you know, a Shiite holy shrine in the city of Samarra was bombed by Sunni extremists that caused fighting all over the country, but especially in Baghdad. The fighting abated over the weekend when the governmental and religious authorities intervened, but it has since resumed with a major car bombing in Baghdad and violence elsewhere in central Iraq. In Washington, there is the very real fear that violence in Iraq could spread to other parts of the Middle East, destabilizing the region in the process.

Dick Cheney says there is no alternative but to "stay the course" in Iraq. I'm inclined to agree, as I don't see any alternative. But no matter what happens, Iraq will descend into chaos - the only question is exactly how much chaos it descends into - and this undoubtedly will only strengthen the hand of the world's archenemy, Iran. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, Taliban and other anti-government insurgents have themselves strengthened enough to pose a real threat to the Karzai government.

Prepare for higher gasoline prices if - or, should I say, when - all of this gets further out of hand. March is indeed coming in like a lion. :-(