We can talk about a long list of causes and circumstances that led to the rapid collapse of the Iraqi forces in Mosul and other cities. We can also discuss the internal and external factors that enabled the groups affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) to enter Iraqi cities without any real resistance from security forces.

This is all being investigated by the media, but a central point is being neglected: the position of the local population in Mosul and the majority of other Sunni regions concerning all of these events.

The situation on the ground indicates that a large majority of the Sunni population tried to leave the regions affected by this crisis in anticipation of major military operations. The wave of Sunni displacement is not new. It has been going on intensively for 10 years now, inside and outside Iraq.

Iraqi political parties, and particularly the Iraqi government, must recognize the faulty policies that were adopted for the administration of Sunni regions, dealing with their population and respecting their privacy. A re-examination of these policies is an essential part of any solution in Iraq.