Tom Ricks's Inbox From: The Washington Post | Date: September 2, 2007 | Copyright 2007 The Washington Post. This material is published under license from the Washington Post.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post.Copyright information

Some observers have taken a page from urban planning theory to describe Iraq as a "wicked problem" -- a term coined to describe complex and divisive issues, such as building a new highway through a city or finding a location for a large homeless shelter.

Here is one expert's explanation of the rules governing this kind of conundrum. They do indeed seem to illuminate the current U.S. policy impasse in Iraq:

1. You don't understand the problem until you have developed a solutio...

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