It's easy to say that Iraq needs a comprehensive review of what would be required for its groups to coexist. It's easy to talk about a general conference bringing together all groups — both those inside and outside Iraq’s political process — to agree on a settlement that ends the confusion and contradiction over the country's future.

But it's more difficult to imagine a clear road map that would actually push Iraqi groups to accept their historical responsibilities.

In 2003, Iraq faced an earthshaking confrontation, as the dictatorship and authoritarian rule under which Iraqis had suffered for more than three decades came to an end — and not at the hands of the Iraqis themselves. The downfall came at the hands of the US military, which left Iraqis — particularly the broader sections of society affected by former President Saddam Hussein’s regime — between a rock and a hard place. These sections of society were grateful to the US troops for their sacrifices in bringing down Saddam Hussein's regime, but at the same time, they couldn't confront the logic of the Sunni and Shiite militias in “resisting the American occupation.”

It's impossible not to consider this, or to ignore this plight as if it never happened — and it's unacceptable to pretend that the issue ended with the withdrawal of the last American soldier from Iraq at the end of 2011.