Berlin, Belfast and Baghdad

In case you were in any doubt about who's in charge, The Guardian dispels any illusions:

The new age of the wall has begun. Ramparts and stone fortifications, regarded until recently as national relics and tourist attractions, are back with a vengeance in the "global war on terror".
The White House indicated yesterday it would press ahead with building a three-mile wall between Sunni and Shia neighbourhoods in Baghdad, despite the objections of the Iraqi government.

The Iraqi government may have been elected by its people. But democracy doesn't count when the White House is determined on a course of action.