That'll keep the Mexicans out

Iraq to dig trenches around Baghdad - Yahoo! News

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi security forces will dig trenches around Baghdad and set up checkpoints along all roads leading into the city to try to reduce some of the violence plaguing the capital, the Interior Ministry said Friday.
...

The plan to dig trenches around Baghdad will be implemented in coming weeks, Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Abdul-Kareem Khalaf told The Associated Press.

It comes as more than 130 people were slain in two days — either killed in attacks or tortured and dumped in rivers or on the city's streets.

"Trenches will be dug around Baghdad in the coming weeks when the third part of the Baghdad security plan is implemented," Khalaf said.

The security plan, known as Operation Together Forward, began June 15 and is being implemented in three phases. The first phase included setting up random checkpoints around the city, phase two began Aug. 7 and focused on the most violence-prone areas of Baghdad — mostly the Sunni Arab southern districts. Phase three reportedly includes cordoning off and searching other parts of Baghdad, including predominantly Shiite areas.

Khalaf said that except for the trenches, vehicle and pedestrian traffic would be restricted to just 28 entry points with manned checkpoints.

"We will leave only 28 inlets to Baghdad while all other inlets will be blocked. Supports will be added to the trenches to hinder the movements of people and vehicles. The trenches will be under our watch," he said.

Or perhaps you prefer thinking of Cold War-era Berlin as the role model here.

Put aside how laughably archaic this approach is on a tactical level, and think about the big picture. Fences, walls and moats are designed to keep evil out (or, occasionally, in). When you control both sides, a moat is unnecessary. So the building of a barrier around the capital city of the chief battleground in the war on terrah is telling. Just as Hamid Karzai is the president of Kabul, the nominal government of Iraq, seated earlier this year, is now willing to fall back to trying to govern Baghdad.