Will The Violence In Baghdad Continue?

On Thursday evening, the end of the Iraqi workweek, the Karada neighborhood was a destination for smokers. Shiho Fukada for The New York Times

Savoring Baghdad, Where Each Night Is A Battle -- New York Times

BAGHDAD — Who owns the Iraqi night?

As Iraq’s violence ebbed, it seemed that the country’s tea-sipping, hookah-smoking revelers had reclaimed the evening hours, casting off the siege mentality of the war’s worst days as they repopulated nightclubs, speakeasies and public parks.

Then came a recent barrage of attacks that clawed apart scenes of Iraq’s reawakened nightlife. Insurgents blew up restaurants and cafes, public squares and shopping stalls, in what felt to many Iraqis like a deliberate attempt to drive them back behind their front gates after the sun sets.

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My Comment: Baghdad reminds me of Beirut, and the siege mentality that struck that city after many years of civil war. Will Baghdad follow the same route .... it appears to be the case. It is deeply divided along sectarian lines, and there is little if any political compromise between the two main religious factions (Sunni-Shiite).As long as this continues .... expect the violence to continue.