Are Cross-Sectarian Alliances Possible in Iraq?
Following months of escalating sectarian tension across Iraq, both popular and political, some are beginning to explore the viability of forging political alliances that transcend sectarian divisions.
Joyful news does not always come out of Iraq. The news that Sunni and Shiite political parties seek to announce a single cross-sectarian bloc to run in the upcoming elections should be “joyful.”
Yet, there are a lot of profound questions regarding this step, its seriousness, and whether or not it is actually designed to move a country torn by conflicts and sectarian differences into a new phase.
Regardless of the parties that seek to adopt this step; according to the media the parties include the Shiite State of Law Coalition, led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and the Sunni Iraqiya al-Arabiya, led by Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq.
One can recall the experience of Iyad Allawi (Shiite), leader of the Iraqiya List, who moved between several alliances looking for a cross-sectarian bloc. His list ended up with being regarded as the representative of Sunni Iraqis, and it was even practically fragmented to explicitly represent the Sunnis in the Mutahidoun United Coalition led by Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi.
