The Wall (updated)

There was a time when The Wall was a symbol of the failure of Soviet Communism. When The Wall fell, it was a symbol of freedom.

Today, the U.S. military is building a three-mile wall across the center of Baghdad, dividing Shia from Sunni in an effort to stem sectarian violence. This Wall stands as a symbol of the failure of Bush's "liberation" of Iraq. If what's transpired in Mesopotamia since the U.S. occupation is in any sense a "liberation", Bush will go down with Pandora - who according to Greek mythology unleashed a world of woe in an act of naive curiosity - as one of history's least welcome "liberators."

According to the UK Guardian: "Since the US-led invasion, 'ethnic cleansing' has resulted in population shifts that have left Baghdad increasingly divided on sectarian grounds, separated by the Tigris which runs through the centre of the city. Sunnis are consolidating on the west side and Shias on the east. The wall is being built round the biggest remaining Sunni enclave on the east bank, at Adhamiya. Referred to by US troops as the Great Wall of Adhamiya, it is surrounded on three sides by Shia neighbourhoods and has been the scene of some of the city's worst violence.

"There was confusion about the wall at US HQ. Major-General William Caldwell, the usual US spokesman in Baghdad, said on Wednesday he was unaware of efforts to build a wall. 'Our goal is to unify Baghdad, not subdivide it into separate [enclaves],' he said. But a US military press release from Camp Victory provided extensive details about the construction. It said: 'The area the wall will protect is the largest predominately Sunni neighbourhood in east Baghdad. The wall is one of the centrepieces of a new strategy by coalition and Iraqi forces to break the cycle of sectarian violence.' The strategy involves creating a series of gated communities, in which US and Iraqi troops control entry and exits." (end clip)

Daddy's flown across the ocean
Leaving just a memory
Snapshot in the family album
Daddy what else did you leave for me?
Daddy, what'd'ja leave behind for me?!?
All in all it was just a brick in the wall.
All in all it was all just bricks in the wall.

("Another Brick in the Wall" -Roger Waters)

UPDATE - Iraq Prime Minister al-Maliki orders construction of the wall halted - here.