Brothers with Arms

Reporting from Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF – OIR), Keerthana Nimmagadda opines on the return of sectarian violence amongst Iraqis, after emerging victorious from their battle with the Islamic State (IS).

The situation in the Republic of Iraq (Iraq) can be cited as a perfect example of winning a battle, but losing a war. As a nation that has been battling with sectarian violence since decades[1], the Sunni-Shi’a war came to a brief but momentous stop, owing to the pressing issue of the IS swooping down on Iraqi territories. The Iraqis saw a fleeting (2014-2017) moment of its inhabitants forgetting the sectarian war at the time and defeating the bigger enemy by uniting temporarily. However, after the victory in Mosul[2], the reporter wonders whether this can cause more harm than joy amongst the citizens of Iraq, who are on the edge of slipping back into their fraternal conflict. Moqtada al-Sadr, an eminent Shi’a cleric, stated that he was worried that the defeat of Da’esh might have Iraq at the brink of a sectarian genocide.

Many experts believe that the Sunni-Shi’a war has turned into a form of zero-sum policy. Time and again, it has been proved that one side emerges victorious, while the other side takes a drastic hit. There is indubitably a chance of Iraq undergoing a repeat of the 2003 episode, where Shi’as felt discriminated, and decided to target the Sunni sect of the Iraqi Muslims. The current situation could turn either way – all while maintaining the zero-sum proxy. To further complicate things, the Kurds have added themselves as a third sect to the ongoing battle, claiming that they deserve to get a share of the pie. However, a failed referendum seeking for a separate statehood[3] has kept things at bay for the Kurds for a while.

Resolving the issue is not going to be a piece of cake, either. There are numerous factors that come into play which require careful deliberation before being acted upon: a huge one being the political aspect of it; also, including the economic facet, military forces, equitable distribution of assets, etcetera. Equitable distribution of assets might actually develop a certain type of cooperation amongst the sects; with the equitable distribution, comes along a sense of joint development, security cooperation, trade, etcetera. However, none of this will take fruition if either side is focused only on uprooting the other.

One also has to consider the fact that there lies a bevy of problems beneath the sectarian politics. The government body, under the farce of supporting a certain sect, manages to get away with corruption, state inefficiency, and inability to rehabilitate the IS-affected areas. Many think-tanks also fear an inevitable Sunni insurgency, owing to the fact that millions of Sunnis have been neglected and pushed away from their homeland by the Shi’as and the Kurds. They are reported to have been introduced to a state of paranoia; they believe they will be squashed down as a minority, almost to become non-existent, if the Shi’as come to power.

The reporter, therefore, believes that instead of entirely focusing on military advancements, it is imperative to build and regain the society that has been so cruelly taken by the IS. It is one thing for Iraq to toot its own horn about reclaiming its land from the IS, but it is entirely something else to bring civilization, and most importantly, its displaced inhabitants back to the country. What this nation needs more than anything, at this point, is a great sense of nationalism. Without this, there are great chances of sectarian wars; or worse, more opportunities for the IS to strike again while the coal is hot. While the coalition has put in great efforts to reclaim land from the IS, it must not help the Da’esh to stroke the fire; instead, it must put it out while it still can.

[1] http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14546763

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/09/iraq-announces-victory-over-islamic-state-mosul

[3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/how-the-kurdish-independence-referendum-backfired-/2017/10/20/3010c820-b371-11e7-9b93-b97043e57a22_story.html