Arthur notices that “Root causes” make a comeback,

and he’s right on the money,

The Islamist rage is supported by the twin pillars of deep-seated resentment and totalitarian vision. There is the general sense of shame and humiliation that an once powerful Islamic world is now dominated by the infidels, politically, militarily, economically, and culturally. The second and connected issue is the desire to re-create a theocratic Caliphate that will first encompass and subsequently expand the Islamic world. The West has to be fought because its vision is totally incompatible with the Islamist one – in this context the Great Satan essentially means the Great Seducer, and thus ultimately a spiritual threat. Its democracy, liberalism, and materialism will always lead good people astray from the one true path; hence for the fundamentalist Umma to survive and thrive the temptation has to be permanently eliminated – either by the annihilation or, preferably, the ultimate conversion of the infidel world.

In case you missed it, yesteday Arthur had installment 16 of Good News From Iraq. The bottom line is,

It would be dangerous and very unwise to ignore or downplay all the bad things happening in Iraq right now; but it would be equally dangerous if without hearing other voices and other stories from inside the country we were to give up and walk away, leaving Iraqis alone to try to secure their future. The bombs are deadly, but the perception that in Iraq today there is nothing else but the bombs could prove even deadlier in the long run – for the Iraqis, the Middle East, and the West.

Thank you, Arhtur!

Update: Jane has more on Iraq.

Roger, looking at what passes for news at the NYT, is asking, Is Lewis Carroll Alive and Secretly Working for the New York Times?