Lahore, Pakistan - Messing with the borders of the Arabs states could open a Pandora's Box in an era when identity is being minisculized according to tribe, sect or even clan. National identity is already under threat, especially in the Arab Gulf region and Iraq's partition would only hasten the break up of the entire region into warring factions.
If there has been one cardinal rule in the post-colonial world since World War Two, followed by colonizers and colonized alike, it is don't mess with the borders drawn up in the 19th century. No country that has tried out such an experiment has lived happily to tell the tale. Look at Pakistan, divided in 1971 into two separate states, Pakistan and Bangla Desh. The Pakistan army is still looking for revenge from India. Afghanistan's claim to become a normal state rests on the fact that it has resisted ethnic and sectarian pressures to split apart. The Afghans know that partition always results in unending conflict. The same is true of Iraq.
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