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.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (L) and Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani (R) speak to each other during a joint news conference in Arbil, about 350 km (220 miles) north of Baghdad June 9, 2013. Maliki visited the Kurdistan region on Sunday for the first time in more than two years, in an attempt to resolve a long-running dispute over oil and land that has strained Iraq's unity to the limit. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX10HC4
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (L) and Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani (R) speak to each other during a joint news conference in Erbil, about 350 km (220 miles) north of Baghdad, June 9, 2013. - REUTERS/Azad Lashkari
mustafakadhimi.jpg
Mustafa al-Kadhimi
Read in 

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.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.

Videos

See more