Iraqis Stand Up

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British war photographer Sean Smith spent nearly six weeks with the 101st Division of the U.S. army in Iraq and has produced an eloquent short film which explodes the myth around the claims that U.S.-trained Iraqis are preparing to take control of their own country. In fact, Shia militias loyal to fundamentalist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr seem to be ready, willing and able to seize power, while Sunni insurgents believed to belong to al-Qaida are so emboldened that they have been publicly staging military-like parades within striking distance of U.S. forces stationed in nearby bases. According to former Bush administration foreign policy official Richard N. Haass, the situation is reaching a "tipping point" both in Iraq and in U.S. politics, and the administration's current strategy "has virtually no chance of succeeding."