In the Arena

Iraq Shudders

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I meant to post on this a few days ago, but the arrest of a key leader of the Sunni Awakening Councils in Diyala province is not a good sign. Diyala, which is located just northeast of Baghdad has been one of the toughest provinces to calm over the past two years, in part because it is not pure of sect–the Sunnis represent a significant minority. Diyala is, then, a crucial test for the Maliki government’s effort to reintegrate Sunnis into the government…and there are far too many indications that Maliki is failing in Diyala and elsewhere. 

I’d suspect that a good part of the rising body count in Iraq is being orchestrated to coincide with the planned departure of U.S. troops from the major cities, which is to take place over the next month. But there is a growing danger that Iraq could backslide into civil war–not just between Sunni and Shiites, but between Arabs and Kurds–if Maliki doesn’t start making a more determined effort to reunite his country.