Is Iraq a civil war? Scholars say yes. Media debate it. | csmonitor.com

Is Iraq a civil war? Scholars say yes. Media debate it. | csmonitor.com:

"Most scholars who study war view the Iraq situation as a civil war; the only debate is when it became one - in 2004 when the US transferred sovereignty to Iraqis, or early this year when the bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra sparked a wave of sectarian violence that continues? Academics cite the standard definition of civil war: groups from the same country fighting for political control, and a death toll of at least 1,000. A majority of Americans view the conflict as a civil war, polls show."