Although President Bush is mostly avoiding the "civil war" moniker to preserve some modicum of respect for his legacy (note: too late), Iraq might really be better off having this fight out. James Traub, a contributing writer for the New York Times magazine, writes that civil wars can rarely be staved off, especially when the combatants have been pressurized under a dictatorship for decades.
Furthermore, Iraq resembles conflict-laden regions like the Ottoman Empire or Yugoslavia after the fall of the imperial or dictatorial regimes. In other words, the sides aren't likely to sit down for tea and peace accords any time soon. They'll want to kill each other until each side is convinced they can't win (if that's in fact the case).
I also blogged on this topic previously, linking to an article arguing that Vietnam offered a model for Iraq (read: get out and let the natives fight it out).
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