Remember the Flypaper?

Some people mocked the theory that US troops in Iraq would be a trap for radicals of all sorts, but David Warren is still talking about it.

The reality is that, of course, if Iraq had an overwhelmingly sane and benign populace a man like Saddam couldn't have dominated them. That's why it should be no surprise that someone such as al-Sadr should prove so troublesome and command a significant amount of loyalty from a thuggish underclass of Iraqi males.

I don't know about Warren's 'flypaper' metaphor though. I might prefer to think instead of a refining process whereby though a process of confrontation on the one hand, and empowerment on the other, Iraqi society can become cleansed and fit for self-development.

Hopefully people like al-Sadr can be burned off, and people like this can rise to prominence.