esrosedotblog

Jim asked me if the sudden appearance in the news of the 'death triangle' in Iraq was the same as the Sunni Triangle. Had the Sunni somehow gotten deadly enough to give it a new name? I sorta kinda knew the answer but wasn't all that sure. And, because I am ready to one-up on knowledge anytime I can make a splash, I looked it up. Here is the dish for all who wondered the same thing.

No. The Sunni or Golden Triangle is a political/religous subdivision. I got this out of some encyclopedia and lost the source so I can't cite the rest of it.

For many years Iraq was ruled by-and-large by Arab Sunnis who tended to come from a restricted area around Baghdad, Mosul, and Ar Rutbah--the socalled Golden Triangle. In the 1980s, not only was President Saddam Husayn a Sunni, but he was the vice chairman of the ruling Baath Party (Arab Socialist Resurrection). One of the two deputy prime ministers and the defense minister were also Sunnis. In addition, the top posts in the security services have usually been held by Sunnis, and most of the army's corps commanders have been Sunnis. It is also true that the most depressed region of the country is the south, where the bulk of the Shias reside.

It is dangerous and out of control. It has Fallujah and other cities that slip in and out of chaos. Very dangerous.

The "death triangle" is new. It too is very dangerous (there are actually relatively safe places in Iraq); It is the area outside and to the south of Baghdad where they still have no basic control. British troops are tasked with taming it.

There is a highway--called the highway of death, natch-- on which you do not travel without two vehicles--no other cars are allowed to get in between--and you never stop.

Sort of like the old SE Expressway in Boston only a different set of reasons. Well, not that different, actually.