Joost Hiltermann Quotations

There are clerics who are very moderate and who understand what the current situation demands, and there are clerics who have political agendas and who marshal forces for their own gain. Those are the dangerous ones.

But at the same time they play an important role because they physically stand between militias that are at each other's throats.

He has angered insurgents who don't believe in his methods or in attacks on holy sites. But that won't stop him.

Under Saddam, you usually were OK as long as you kept your mouth shut. Now you might get hurt or even killed almost arbitrarily, given the absence of rule of law, the sectarian fighting, insurgent actions and U.S. carelessness in responding to attacks.

Under Saddam, you usually were OK as long as you kept your mouth shut, ... Now you might get hurt or even killed almost arbitrarily, given the absence of rule of law, the sectarian fighting, insurgent actions and U.S. carelessness in responding to attacks.

It couldn't come about except by a tremendous bloodbath. This is not a natural solution.

The Americans are seen as an occupying power with long term goals to control oil.

Most Iraqis want the American forces out because they see them as creating all kinds of problems.

The good thing about the December election was that Sunnis participated but the logic of sectarianism was already set in motion.

Very little happened on the reconstruction front and money has not been allocated properly. Most was spent on projects with no follow-up and so projects fell apart.

even if it wasn't directly caused by Sunni insurgents, the perception will be that it was.

The situation in Iraq looks austere and the implementation of a new all inclusive government is very important for better security.

There's a lot of remote-controlling going on. You have here all the people who don't want to expose their families to violence, kidnapping, bad schools, etc.

The mosque incident will definitely boost his cause.

The Kurds are looking for a way to say: 'We played the game, we acted in good faith, it's not working, we'll set up our separate country,'

In the current environment people will see things in a sectarian light... and it may well lead to further expansion of growing sectarian animosities.

I can't decide if the accord was a genuine attempt to bring the groups together that failed or a bid to divide the Sunnis that succeeded.

These frustrations have only gotten worse even as the rhetoric that 'democracy is coming' has increased.