The Formation of the Political Elite in Modern Iraq: The U.S. and Iranian Factors
... 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 ... ... embedded in the power structure. The “Kurdish issue” also popped up on the agenda. The independence referendum held by the Kurds in territories controlled by Erbil in September 2017 put Baghdad and Prime Minister al-Abadi personally in an awkward position ...