Iraq War may be at the beginning of its end.
US President is on the way to fulfill his commitment and hasten the process of withdrawal of US troops from Iraqi soil.
In line with the promises made during his election campaign, it bodes well for the families of troops languishing in Iraq.
The process of troop withdrawal cannot and should not be too fast, however much the Iraqi government may want it.
Iraq has a peculiar demography with a near equal Shia-Sunni ratio in its population.
Besides, it has over five million orphans and about two million destitute widows produced by a series of wars that show no sign of abetting.
This peculiarity is responsible for the ongoing terrorist activities and suicide attacks that kill and maim hundreds every month.
A civil rule is essential as a precursor to development of a civic society.
But, with her demography and history of Shia Sunni strife dating to back to the days of the prophet Mohammed, there is little hope for a peaceful life in Iraq.
US president has to walk a tight rope in balancing the two commitments, a peaceful civilian rule in Iraq and a complete withdrawal of US troops.
This war has had a profound impact on world economy.
It is much more so for the US.
Number of US nationals including troops that visited Iraq during last decade may well exceed two million.
Others who visited war torn and ravaged Iraq should also be at least half a million, if not more.
It has been a blessing that most of them have returned safely and with substantial rise in their bank balances too.
But those who sacrificed their lives have remained a mere statistics.
Even the literary community at large seems to have ignored human sufferings and social implications of this long war.
It is no surprise that returning US troops have not cared to pen their experiences as fiction or otherwise.
They barely had a chance to see Iraq.
Experience of a war fought alone is not enough to ignite creativity.
You need to experience the pain and suffering of the other side too.
People of nationalities other than US, who visited Iraq had an insufficient length of stay or were unable to write in English.
Baghdad is a beautiful place, as anyone who has visited it will readily testify.
It is a place full of handsome men and beautiful women.
But what brutality can be awakened in those handsome people by the ravages of war is to be seen to be believed.
Truth is stranger than fiction, so goes the saying.
If that be so, then it is best that reality remains hidden.
One has to research current history of Iraq to gain insight into the events that shook Iraq and the world and why there can never be peace in that country.