Mr. Kaus might look at the Swiss model of a federation for Iraq. Both the Swiss and the Iraqis have three major ethnic groups (French, Italian and German) and share two major religions (Protestant and Catholic). The Swiss have four languages (German, French, Italian and Romansh). The Swiss managed to avoid most of the Protestant-Catholic conflicts of the 16th and 17th Centuries (just as violent and bitter as the Shiite-Sunni feud today). The Swiss set up their system for mutual self-defense. Religious and ethnic issues were secondary to political and economic freedom plus they had 400 years to work together. It is also a very small state and, being in the Alps, easily defended. Iraq is the opposite and Iraqis have very little time to learn to compromise unless foreign troops stay for a century or more.