Ten years after the US invasion, Iraqi society remains deeply divided and in danger of disintegration. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is finishing his second four-year term in office, with both the Kurdish and Sunni opposition claiming that they have been sidelined by the Shi’a leadership and that Mr Maliki is usurping power at their expense. Thousands of Sunni protesters have taken to the streets over the last three months, while the Kurds support the Sunnis without participating in the demonstrations.
The political system based on sectarianism established by the US in 2003 is unable to govern the country, having failed to provide basic services and to put an end to rampant corruption and terrorism. The country’s politics revolve around communal interests; the main concern of the Shi’as is to retain control of the government after waiting for so long to gain it, while the Sunnis want an end to the persecution of their community and the amendment of anti-terrorism and anti-Ba’th laws which they allege have been misused by the Maliki government to target them. (CONTINUED - 822 WORDS)
