... Party) and Al Qaeda in Iraq [
5
]. Attempts to inject Sunni groups (the Sahwa or the Al-Iraqiya movements, which also included Sunnis) into the political elite were generally unsuccessful.
The ongoing marginalization of the Sunni population by the Nouri ... ... many, including members of his former party Dawa. As a result, many wanted to oust him from the post of Prime Minister. But Iran and the United States
put pressure
on their partners within Iraq to prevent that from happening. This led to a reconfiguration ...
... longer be tolerated, since it was fraught with the real danger of an armed confrontation between the principal ethnic and denominational communities in the state. It is noteworthy that discontent with this situation was expressed not only by Kurds and Sunnis but also by some Shiites inclined to view the PMF as an instrument of Iran's military and political dominance in Iraq.
The 2018 parliamentary elections were a watershed moment in Iraq’s political developments. One of the most remarkable results of the electoral campaign was the victory of the Saairun bloc led by Muqtada ...
... decades. And now the main theater for this confrontation lies in Iraq, whose western and central regions have become home to the Islamic State (IS), territory claimed by a group of radical Islamists
[22]
.
AFP / LOUAI BESHARA
Elena Suponina:
Shiites and Sunnis: The Danger of Major War
from Syria to Pakistan
Emergence of a major Islamist entity in close proximity to its borders constitutes a direct threat to Iran's national security. Hence, sources suggest, Iranian troops have already entered Iraqi territory to support local Shiite militias
[23]
. Tehran is keenly aware that the extremists in Central Iraq will never accept the dominance of the Shiites, who ...
... to coordinate its oil policy with Iraq) through OPEC tools, since both countries were excluded from OPEC’s quota system. Due to the fact that Riyadh got a substantial part of their quotas, Saudi Arabia will have to reduce production volumes if Iran and Iraq return to the quota system.
Ignoring Sunnis Was a Mistake
Meanwhile, the blame for the worsening situation in Al Anbar province rests to a large extent with the Iraqi leadership itself. After coming to power, the government of Nouri al-Maliki did virtually nothing to integrate the Sunni ...
