History suggests that once an insurgency reaches “critical mass,” it takes a decade or more to eradicate it. And, like past insurgencies, the Iraq conflict is one in which the insurgents use horrific acts to intimidate the public, expose the shortcomings of the government, and goad the regime into overreactions that might turn the public against it.
另外，这很可能是一种拖延式的表演。历史表明一旦某次叛乱达到“临界状态”，就需要十年或更长的时间来根除。和过去的叛乱一样，在伊拉克的冲突中，叛乱分子使用恐怖活动来胁迫公众，暴露政府的软肋，迫使该政权采取非常手段来应对，而这样一来就可能会让公众倒戈。