Calling Iraq's mess a "civil war" is NOT a moral judgment

according to juan cole, it's a social science question...

First-rate Iraq historian Sarah Shields argues that Iraq is not having a civil war so much as it is living through the consequences of the US having destroyed its functioning state. I agree with her that the framework for the fighting was set by Rumsfeld/Cheney/Bush policies in Iraq. But you could say that and still admit that they are now fighting a civil war. The latter is a social science question, not a moral judgment. Avoiding the appearance of a moral judgment of a negative sort that might attach also to the US effort is also the reason that the Right won't call it a civil war.

excellent points, all... the u.s. did indeed create a civil war in iraq by its invasion and what was done - and not done - subsequently... disregarding for a moment that it was an illegal, unprovoked invasion, by failing to factor in that we were taking the lid off of a pressure cooker, thus opening a pandora's box of violence and death, we most certainly are responsible for what is going on now... calling it a civil war is not a moral judgment... creating the conditions for hundreds of thousands of people to die unnecessarily IS...

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