For the last few months the focus has been on the tragedies and civil war that are taking place in Syria — especially the overflow of nearly 4 million refugees — and on the political turmoil taking place at this moment in Egypt and Libya.

Iraq, on the other hand, deserves immediate attention, as it experiences an ongoing bleeding — daily killings, kidnappings and bomb explosions — as a result of the sectarian divide and ethnic tensions which have become tragically a normal daily occurrence. While human losses might not be as often reported as what is taking place in Syria and to a lesser extent in Egypt, Iraq requires a refocusing of world attention.

Iraq has always been defined as the “Fertile Crescent,” and the ongoing divide among its ethnic and religious groups has not been addressed as an urgent priority. This condition is having a spillover on Syria’s condition, exacerbating the ongoing conflict there. Furthermore, if this is not seriously addressed as a priority relating to the forthcoming Geneva II Conference on Syria in mid-November, that might add further serious consequences and delay in resolving the conflict.

This Iraqi situation should be, simultaneously and urgently, addressed by the Arab League, and more particularly by the United Nations and its special envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi.