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President Bush’s central problem in Iraq is simple and insurmountable: We may be in charge, but we’re not Arabs.
Arab culture is strongly oriented toward society and away from the individual–anti-social behavior is treated very harshly almost everywhere in the Arab world.
So the one thing that might deter Iraqi hoodlums and bandits from acts of sabotage–harsh punishment for those convicted of crimes–is the one thing a U.S.-led coalition will never be able to impose.
This is going to get much worse, and cost us way more in money and international stature, before it gets any better.
