I don't think anyone ought to be surprised about the outcome really - these fractures have existed in Iraq for a long time and it was simply held together through Saddam's iron fist.
the entire manifesto by wolfowitz and the "hawks" was flawed from the beginning - their idealism made them believe that democracy would flourish, but that totally ignored the history of Iraq, and the middle east in general, of the past century (or two).
As mentioned by FlamesAddiction (which was a very concise post and spot on IMO), the irony is that Saddam, in spite of being a dictator, was a secular dictator. The problems that are arising are a result of those religious extremists who are interpreting the Koran so it supports their ideology...
Extremism, in any area, is a dangerous thing, as it blinds you to seeing other viewpoints, other perspectives...
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