Jim Hoagland discusses the use of an inovative system of providing rewards to the locals wherever pipelines run through their areas - a sort of "protection racket" that worked under Saddam and served to give the locals a stake in keeping things flowing. Whether that will start to help in the extrememly negative picture painted by this Anthony Shadid piece, only time will tell. I somehow feel that some areas will just plain be a mess until the central government becomes much more mature and powerful.