Iraq is currently the scene of a sharp regional conflict between Iran and its opponents. This is nothing new, however. Regional events have come to show that any country witnessing political or social instability, amid weak state control, can be exposed to a similar power struggle on the part of rich and stable regional powers that have a geopolitical agenda.

This is the case in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Yemen and Bahrain. One can say that the current regional rivalry is hampering the process of rebuilding the state and national identity. It is due to this rivalry that internal conflicts have become complicated, as they turn into an extension of a wider regional conflict waged by powerful countries on the soft lands of unstable countries.

Moreover, the political, ideological and financial alliances that are forged between the regional powers and their local collaborators fuel internal division. In a country like Iraq, where this division takes on a sectarian character, the regional conflict leaves a major destructive effect.

Therefore, the most violent aspects of this conflict take place in countries where a power struggle is more intense, either because of their strategic importance or due to the lack of an ultimate hegemonic power.