CHALLENGES 2006-2007: LIVING DANGEROUSLY IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

by Adam Morrow

CAIRO, Egypt, Dec. 30, 2006 (IPS/GIN) -- Following the execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, almost four years after the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq, the Middle East stands at a crossroads.

The execution of Saddam may well create more problems than it solves. It is unlikely to bring stability to the country, or credibility to the government. Despite the formation of a permanent national government, Iraq has been reduced to a state of chaos and sectarian violence.

The security situation took a dramatic turn for the worse in February, when the bombing of a Shia religious shrine by unknown perpetrators in the city of Samarra triggered a wave of sectarian violence that has continued to rage unabated. The formation of a permanent government in May - after months of sectarian wrangling between Sunni, Shia and Kurdish groups - did little to stop the bloodletting.

These dismal circumstances continued throughout the year, as hundreds of thousands of Sunnis and Shias fled their homes for traditional ethnic heartlands in the middle and south of the country respectively. While insurgent attacks on U.S.-led coalition troops waxed and waned, sectarian killings increased in number and intensity.

According to accounts by humanitarian agencies, roughly 1.6 million Iraqis have been displaced since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. By the end of 2006, daily civilian death tolls in both Sunni and Shia areas had reached unprecedented levels, prompting many observers to describe the conflict as a full-fledged civil war.

Although the Cairo-based Arab League continues to host regular "Iraq reconciliation" conferences in hopes of stopping the…