Iraq's Conflict Severely Lacks All Aspects of a Civil War

The idea of a civil war is nothing new to the world's political theater - indeed the constant threat of factions inside a nation or political spectrum vying for dominance of a sovereign territory has always been one that loomed over the minds of national leaders. Perhaps more so than any other nation or government in the world's history, the Roman Empire was plagued by civil wars and strife, so much so that the topic became the leading subject of poetry, plays, and works of art. In fact, citizens were often confused when the generation, decade, or sometimes even year's civil war had not come, it was like bracing for a punch that never truly came.

Most nations have endured a form of revolution or civil war in the past - from Russia to Britain to the United States, and they have always obeyed the same principle rules of definition that appear lost in the media today. In the 19th Century, the United States saw its Union faction pit against the secessionist Confederate faction, who hoped to carve their own country out of the lower states of America, which ended in a definitive American victory in 1865 with the unconditional surrender of the Confederate States of America.

With a nation with a relatively recent first hand experience at a civil war, it seems astounding that its very politicians are incorrectly using the phrase wherever a conflict or violence erupts around the world, and unfortunately it usually carries with it a notion that the Bush Administration has done something wrong. Case in point, and the most publicized example, is the conflict in Iraq, referred to by Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, and Harry Reid as a "civil war" in which American forces are caught up - something over 67% of Iraqis disagree with.

This false idea that Iraq is currently in a state of civil war is based on the flawed assumption that, because two titled sides in a country are killing each other, there is a form of civil war wracking the country. This of course could not be further from the truth - any more than stating that California is plagued with a "low grade civil war" because of street violence between gang members of the Crips and Bloods factions.