generalspeaking

Sectarian Implosion

Iraq's government was quite firm about it. All American troops must leave Iraq, and leave the country to its own more than adequate devices. The job was done; the tyrant of Baghdad was removed, and the country freed from his brutal reign. The minority Sunni population of Iraq no longer ruled the majority Shia population. A tripartite government comprised of Sunni, Shia and Kurd parliamentarians had its trial run to bring the country to a peaceable solution to the tribal and sectarian unease of the past.

After a decade of NATO and primary British and American military and diplomatic presence in Iraq, the country through its government had determined it was time to become entirely self-reliant and sovereign. There would be no place for any number of residual American troops to remain in the country, not for the purpose of further training Iraqi military, nor for assistance in maintaining stability. No, thank you very much. The time of bloodshed and revenge between Shia and Sunni was long over.

And so, because Iraq would give no guarantees to the American administration that if it permitted some troops to remain on Iraqi soil, it would offer no guarantees to exempt them from Iraqi law and prosecution should the need arise, all U.S. troops were withdrawn, and Iraq was finally left to govern itself. A huge sigh of relief from Iraq, and a low-key sigh of anxiety from the United States.

No sooner had the U.S. presence become the past, than amicable relations between the Iraqi government executive descended into accusation and conflict.

And, inevitably, the now-reigning Shia-majority government exacted its influence over the population, leaving the minority Sunni Iraqis to complain that they were not blessed in equal measure with the majority Shia Iraqis; a reversal of what had pertained under former President Saddam Hussein. The Northern Awakening Sunni militias, once to have been absorbed by the greater majority Shia military to take advantage of their U.S. training and arms meant to stave off attacks by al-Qaeda, was suddenly estranged.

The severance of cooperation between Iraq's Shia and Sunni populations to present as a nation with common interests has destroyed hopes for the future of a unified country. Ancient maledictions once uttered against the other have resumed, and bomb attacks killing thousands of Iraqis have resurfaced to mar aspirations for the country's coming years. Al-Qaeda; the Islamic State in Iraq has been emboldened and strengthened and occasionally supported by Iraqi Sunnis.

Government troops shot Hellfire rockets provided by the U.S. to the government of Iraq to help battle al-Qaeda, but to no avail. The Sunni majority cities of Ramadi and Fallujah in Anbar province have been taken by al-Qaeda. Which augurs ill both for Iraq and for Syria with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant joining the conflict between Shia and Sunni in Syria set to begin building on the momentum achieved in Iraq.

Sectarian violence in both countries is escalating beyond any point of withdrawal, and humanity sees its hope for reconciliation and eventual peace dying in the hot winds of war.

Labels: Al-Qaeda, Atrocities, Conflict, Iraq, Islamism, Syria, Terrorism

posted by Pieface @ Saturday, January 04, 2014