Iraqis have not reacted to this war in any consistent fashion (while seemingly locally consistent, there has not been any sort of constant national reaction to the war). The nature of the response by Iraqis to the coalition troops has been different from city to city and from town to town. In some places the troops were welcomed with smiles, in others they were met with sullen glares, in still others demands were made for assistance. And surely, in some places, the troops were met with all three.

When I hear of such differences it makes me wonder. What is "Iraq"? What is an "Iraqi"? What are the many definitions which go into those broad categories, definitions which will play out in one way or another (sometimes, unfortunately, violently) over the next few years? Where are the cleavages and demarcations? Where are the agreements and unifiers? When we begin to answer these questions, we will begin to know how to work with the people of Iraq.