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as a surprise is how quickly they have adapted themselves to changing circumstances. By comparison America's response has been lethargic.

The Iraqis began by using rifles and rocket propelled grenades. The Americans were ready for that so the Iraqis switched to the roadside bombs the famous IEDs that used a wire to trigger them. Once the occupiers learned to look for the cables, the Iraqis switched to an electronic detonator. The Americans developed countermeasures, but the Iraqis were quick to shift again to a type of signal that was harder to jam.

What is happening is that the decentralised nature of the Iraqi resistance tells to their advantage. They do not have to wait until orders come down from a centralised command. Groups can learn from each other, and don't have to wait until a tactic is perfected. The egalitarian nature of these tribally-based groups means that people can talk to each other. The Internet means that they can boast of their triumphs on-line. Other groups either talk to the tactical developers, or watch their activities on a computer monitor. Either way, tactics are not only allowed to evolve, they are positively encouraged. The end result is that the resistance is always able to stay one step ahead of the colonialists.

Finally, and counter-intuitively, the Iraqis are the stronger side in this war. They are the stronger because they have time on their side. They do not have to win the war; all they have to do is make the Americans continue to lose it. The guerrilla wins by not losing; the imperialist loses by not winning.

Think about it: how long can the Americans stay the course? They have been there almost five years - how about another five years? How about another fifty? The Iraqis can last the bout because they live there; they are the only ones actually fighting for their homes, families, clans and tribes. Everybody else leaves eventually, but the Iraqis stay, because they have nowhere else to go.

Leading on from this, those people who are thinking about cutting a deal with the Americans know that sooner or later the Americans will leave. When that happens those who worked with the Americans will find themselves alone to face the wrath of imperialism's victims. If you want to know what happens then, just cast your minds back to Algeria in 1962. The French had about 250,000 Algerians serving in their colonial forces. The lucky ones managed to hop on a boat to France. Equally lucky were the ones who had the wit to kill themselves. The

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