Inside Pandora's Box

We have succeeded
In removing
Saddam Hussein,
Only to be
Confronted by
An almost total
Breakdown of
Law and order.
In the ensuing vacuum,
A vast array
Of tribal sheikhs,
Petty crooks,
Political opportunists,
And common thugs
Have blended with
Religious fanatics
And other malcontents
To turn Iraq
Into a battlefield.
They wage war
Against each other,
And against
Civilized authority.
No single group
Possesses either
The power,
Or the will,
To force the others
To pursue anything
Beyond their own
Exceedingly narrow
Self interests.
The commoners
Are forced
To meekly endure
The consequences.
Those who could
Have fled the chaos.
Those who remain
All know someone
Who has been kidnapped
Or murdered,
And most live precariously
With constant threats
To their lives
Or their livelihoods.
Corruption is pervasive,
And extortion rampant.
This is the atmosphere
In which we struggle
To built the foundation for
A new sovereign nation.