The Columbianization of Iraq

Keywords: Iraq, Middle East, Iran, Colombia, state, oil

"Between the realm of the failed state and the functioning, if not always healthy, nation, there lies the semi-state. A semi-state can be defined as a state which does not reach its internationally recognized borders. Within its control it fulfills the basic requirement being the fact on the ground, however, there are significant regions which would have been called 'palitinates' in English legal theory circa 1400 - that is, regions were 'the king's writ doth not hold'. In our post-feudal world, the easy acceptance of this idea is harder to come by, and yet there are a number of states that have come to a relative stablity as semi states: Zaire, Columbia, Pakistan - states with organized counter-government apparatus that have effective control of territory, and some degree of recognition from the 'central government'.

The title of the post is intentionally Ironic, and perhaps Iranic as well - Columbia after all means peace. And that is what Iraq will be seeking above all else - enough peace to begin development and exploitation of the oil reserves - which are what this entire active of the Great Game is about.

In short, Iraq is about to Columbi-ize, and there is very little that will be done to stop it."

Link
Source: The Blogging of the President

See also:
Iraq News - Topix.net
Iraq -Google News
Iraq - Yahoo News
Iraq - Technorati
Global Guerrillas
Thomas Barnett's blog

Another problem:
The Coming Energy Crisis or Peak Oil

Images:
Iraq - Google Search
Iraq - Yahoo Search
Iraq - Flickr

Video:
Iraq - Yahoo Search

Audio:
Iraq - Singingfish
Thomas Barnett - Emerging Worldviews - IT Conversations