article_snippet: A country that has split and been pulled together before, has the youngest and fastest growing population in the region, is running low on oil and water, and possesses a "personalist" government rather than stable institutions, was on the top of every expert's list as the fragile state most likely to fail next.
article_snippet: These include legitimate leadership with stable succession plans; a united elite; institutions to bridge regional and ethnic divisions and assure fairness in political and economic access and a functioning economy with capabilities for providing employment and growth.
article_snippet: What we have now is an area with about 24 million people, more than twice the population now under the rule of the Islamic State in eastern Syria and western Iraq, that is virtually ungoverned and up for grabs and is falling into the grips of an all-out civil war between Iran-supported Shi'as and al Qaeda/ISIS-aligned Sunnis.
article_snippet: It is a war that the West loses no matter who wins.
article_snippet: It is now too late to do much of anything except watch and try to either support any moderate elements if watch should emerge as capable of holding regional or national power, or contain any dangerous jihadist elements if watch should do so.
article_snippet: Either task will be difficult, and provide yet another costly distraction to efforts to restore peace in Syria and Iraq.
highlights_snippet: says country now in chaos, virtually ungoverned and vulnerable to jihadist elements .