British Leave Basra; Violence Drops by 90 Percent

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/11/17/2322/9937

Now that the British military has all but left southern Iraq, the International Herald Tribune is reporting that violence has fallen by 90 percent in Basra—Iraq’s second largest city.
Here’s why it’s happening:
The thing you have to understand about an occupation like the one in Iraq, is that much of the violence results from the unrest that occurs when people have no sense of a permanent presence of authority. At the risk of going completely unscientific here, it’s like a class that won’t behave for a substitute teacher. The people have no need to please or respect the occupier, because they know that ultimately, that occupier will give way to a more long-term power.
In such a situation—where there is no sense of permanent authority—dozens and dozens of groups vie for power. They all want to end up being that more long-term power. And their agendas are varied—as are their methods for causing trouble. I described it this way when I returned from the middle of the Iraqi insurgency: