And for dessert would anyone care for some Civil War?

I've been hearing the "Civil war in Iraq" meme for so long now, it appears that the broken clock might finally be telling the correct time. The trouble with that metaphor is that while a broken clock is right twice a day its only right for two of that day's 1,440 minutes.
So are we seeing actual civil war or just the continuing pernicious influence of Iraq's unfriendly neighbors and its own criminal element? Who knows. Over at VodkaPundit Stephen Green thinks through the consequences of a full-blown civil war and as always is interesting. This thought seems to be generating the most comments;

Christianity was a violent religion until the Thirty Years War. That war lasted
so long, and killed so many people (the population of Germany was reduced by a
third), that Christendom lost its bloodlust. Freedom of conscience was born on
the battlefields of central Europe. The Middle East hasn't suffered that kind of
loss; they haven't yet had their fill of blood; they haven't yet become
disgusted with tyranny. I'd like to think that the Middle East can do what the
West did, without all the suffering. But if it takes regional fratricide, then
so be it.

Personally I don't think that Islam can reform itself from within because of its very nature, but I've been known to be wrong (with distressing frequency) before.
What I see in Iraq now reminds me somewhat of the civil rights movement here in the United States. While most Iraqis support one side or another they aren't active participants in the struggle and seem willing to live with whatever side wins. America, having had its own bloody, destructive civil war, a strong central government, and a strong sense of national identity weathered the unrest of the 60's never approaching the daily level of unrest in Iraq.
From a historical perspective perhaps a true civil war might be just what Iraq (and the greater middle east) need. Small comfort to those living in interesting times though.