Publication

This commentary argues that Iraq's security situation in early 2013 is complicated and dangerous. At the heart of the crisis of the Iraqi state is the polarization between the two largest components of Arab Iraq. Sunni leaders and society have almost totally lost confidence in the Shiite-dominated government of Nouri al-Maliki. Old sectarian rivalries have partially re-emerged and government policy is ill-equipped to resolve the grievances. According to the author, failure to address the fundamental problems could lead to further domestic instability and geopolitical interference from the region's major powers.