Jailed or slain leaders are quickly replaced, usually after a sanguinary round of jockeying among the second tier.

NEWYORKER: Silver or Lead

Beyond a show of emotion about the sanguinary state of the war that he launched, Mr. Bush gave no indication of what comes next.

NPR: Bush and Iraq: A Punctured State of Denial

No less possible is a sanguinary last stand in the streets of Baghdad, leading to a slaughter of innocents as well as of fighting men.

ECONOMIST: Better together. If necessary, alone

'This leads to an affair of the most sanguinary!

NPR: Excerpt: 'An Infamous Army'

And once the war had started three years ago, would he have reveled in the swift advance to Baghdad, proclaiming victory, had he known that the invaders were leaving behind them the makings of a sanguinary insurrection?

NPR: First Iraq War Set the Stage for Current Conflict