Sliding towards the abyss

The War on Terror ™ continues, with no evidence that America is safer. Indeed, if you live in London or Madrid you know that the entire Western world is a target. Iraq is teetering into civil war after the attack on the Askari Mosque. The Bush administration, with a brilliance unsuspected by anyone except, perhaps, the wingiest of wingnuts, has ensured that there will be war without end. Of course, the fact that people die in war, and that most of these people are innocent is irrelevant.

In a short time -- less than three years since the invasion of Iraq -- not only has the 'mission' not been accomplished, but Iraq has been turned into a low-intensity battleground. And Afghanistan is beginning to turn into a mini-Iraq (although we have to note that the last invader to effectively conquer Afghanistan was Alexander the Great).

Now, we have the Cartoon Crisis, which is exacerbating conflict between the West and Islam. It looks as if someone wants a 'clash of civilisations' and is working hard to produce it. We are sliding towards the abyss, and it is not going to be easy to get out.