CIAO DATE: 11/2013
August 2013
The question of Sunni Arab participation in Iraq’s political order that has plagued the transition since its inception is as ac ute and explosive as ever. Quickly marginal- ised by an ethno-sectarian apportionment that confined them to minority status in a system dominated by Shiites and Kurds, most community members first shunned the new dispensation then fought it. Having gradually turned from insurgency to tentative political involvement, their wager produced only nominal representation, while reinforcing feelings of injustice and discrimination. Today, with frustration at a boil, unprecedented Sunni-Shiite polarisation in the region and deadly car bombings surging across the country since the start of Ramadan in July, a revived sectarian civil war is a serious risk. To avoid it, the government should negotiate local cease- fires with Sunni officials, find ways to more fairly integrate Sunni Arabs in the politi- cal process and cooperate with local actors to build an effective security regime along the Syrian border.
Resource link: Make or Break: Iraq's Sunnis and the State [PDF] - 2.5M