Whether you want to play with words or not, the effect on life in Iraq is like there is a civil war.

Shiites started forcing Sunnis out of Balad, Iraq killing dozens of Sunni men in the process.  (This type of land grab by Shiites on prime agricultural land has been reported before.  They want the good farm land in their hands before the partition.  This is one of the reasons I didn't see an 18 month hold on the break up of the nation.  It just means more killing.)

See: Families Flee Iraqi River Towns On 4th Day of Sectarian Warfare
(after reading above hit the back button)

Then Iraqi police and Shiite militia men sealed off Balad Iraq a  town north of Baghdad to guard against Sunnis entering for revenge.  Ellen Knickmeyer and Muhanned Saif Aldin report that now Iraqi military have taken over from the militias. But the basic scenario  has been seen over and over again, and, after reading the above linked article, you can see how local officials are helping to foment the sectarian strife.
Ms. K's and Mr. A's latest:  Tense Calm Prevails as Iraqi Forces Seal Off River Town:

We wait for the day when the Iraqi troops can do anything without their American big brothers.  They better hurry up and stand up because, if they haven't figured it out yet, they're going to be surprised to realize that the Bush administration is using Iraq as a staging ground (like Kuwait was for the Iraq invasion) for "boots on the ground" in Iran.