re: Insurgents seize Iraqi city of Mosul as troops flee

it wouldn't suprise me. The Kurds have been unified and well organized since before the U.S. invasion. It may or may not be true, but I could certainly believe it. The Iraqi government and military is a huge shite show, though. The police and military are rife with "insurgents" and "sympethizers". The people of the middle east have no concept of voicing political dissent through elections. Their elections are based on simple and parliamentary majorities instead of a more representative republic system. True democracy is chaos, where the 51% abuse and anhilate the 49%. The disenfranchized minorities, in this region, have been forming militias and insurgent groups, winning battles with guns that they can't win with votes. It's a real case study in "how not to build a country".