It's Called a Civil War

"Last year, I read Roméo Dallaire's memoir "Shake Hands With The Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda." The book made me realize what is taking place in Iraq is a civil war. Since then, I started calling the conflict in Iraq a civil war when almost everyone - including the Iraqi people - called it different names. Many people are afraid of facing the reality of the miserable situation in Iraq."
Fayrouz in Beaumont

The problem is not if Iraq is, or is not in a real civil war, the problem is that "if" Iraq is officially declared a civil war, the US will have to pull out, or at a minimum pull away and not take a side. That's what he whole civil war debate is about. Unfortunately it has nothing to do with Iraq, but all to do with US policy. Those that want to call it a civil war, want an immediate US pullout, Those that you se rejecting the term "civil war" just want to "stay the course", or at least want to keep the US military engaged in the Iraqi theater.