The latest news of the destruction of the UN building in Baghdad leads me to some brief thoughts this morning for the solution of the Iraq problem along the lines that evolutionary economics' close partner, evolutionary psychology, would suggest.

The solution -- or, rather, an interim solution -- is to divide the country into three. Iraq has never been a nation-state in the normally accepted use of the term -- that is, with a reasonably unitary culture. Instead, it is an artificial conglomeration (originally imposed by the British) which enclose three distinct cultures. These are the Kurds in the north, the Sunni Muslims in a western triangle, the apex of which just touches Baghdad, and the Shia Muslims in the south and the east. The country has only been held together in the last few decades by the savage regime of Saddam Hussein who would remorselessly kill thousands when he deemed the occasion required it.

Despite the draconian rule of Saddam Hussein, Iraq as a whole was indeed slowly progressing towards a unified culture. Unlike the medieval regimes of Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Emirates, each held back by the power of Shia and Wahabbi clerics, Iraq has had a reasonably good secular educational system for the last two decades and a significant professional middle-class has been emerging. Indeed, the medical profession in Iraq has a reputation that is the equal of most developed countries. Also, before the invasion, Iraq had a far smaller proportion of unemployed young males in its population than Iran and Saudi Arabia and also, unlike any of the other Arab countries of the Middle East, other religions were allowed to practise. However, Saddam (and any competent successors) would have needed at least another two generations to pull the country through to a largely unified condition that is considered to be a nation-state.

All that has now been knocked on the head and the Americans -- after what must be considered to be one of the biggest misjudgements of all time ("They will welcome us") -- are finding it impossible to govern the country, or to bring about an Iraqi provisional government that is going to be workable. At the present time, it seems to be the remnants of Saddam's Baath Party who are causing most of the terrorist incidents. The Shia Muslims, who comprise 65% of the population are relatively quiescent, but there are more than enough fundamentalist Shia clerics who are already talking of a future jihad if and when an Iraqi government forms which doesn't give the Shias control. This, of course, is what the Americans are desperate to avoid.

If America wishes wishes to fling its weight around in a practical manner I would suggest that it divides the country into three -- a Sunni nation in the west, a Kurd nation in the north, and a Shia nation in the south. Furthermore, America should force Turkey and Iran to yield parts of their territories so that the Kurdish people may be reunited.

This solution would not prevent further nationalistic wars between the Kurds, Sunnis and Shias, but these at least could be more easily handleable by threats from a super-power such as America. This situation is nearer to that which has always obtained between groups and tribes of men ever since our origins and is rather more to be desired than the destructiveness of civil wars, ethnic genocide, demoralisation and total breakdown of law and order which characterise many African countries and which seems inevitable in Iraq if the present inept attempts at 'nation-building' by the Americans continue.

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