Word: sectarianism
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...with each other as Iraq's two main Shi'ite power players. In the early days of the occupation, Sistani's call for calm undoubtedly allowed American troops to avoid fierce resistance to their presence in southern Iraq. But Sistani's repeated appeals for peace lost their weight as sectarian violence rose in Iraq, with Sadr leading the Mahdi Army militia in an inexorable year-long quest for Shi'ite revenge following the bombing of a revered shrine in Samarra in early 2006. As a result, Sadr, a mere cleric, towered as the most powerful Shi'ite figure in Iraq...
...Lebanese are used to their leaders - sectarian warlords, corrupt tycoons and rebel clerics - creating more problems than solutions. So when almost all of the country's top men boarded planes on Friday for negotiations in Qatar to end the country's worst crisis since the end of the Lebanese civil war, there was joy in the land. "No one wants you; the population is living without you; your absence has made us comfortable," go the lyrics of The Leaders Left Lebanon, an instant hit song making the rounds on music television stations...
...current government could have continued to hold out against Hizballah and clung to office and symbolic support from the West. But in the absence of any real central authority, the country was already starting to unravel along sectarian lines. Lebanon's multi-religious character and political system - which divides power among the country's largest sects - is famously fragile. The sectarian feeling unleashed by clashes between Hizballah, a Shi'a Muslim party, and government supporters, who are mostly Sunni and Druze Muslims, threatened to push the country into another civil...
...after the government tried to shut down Hizballah's private telecommunications network. But he has been spoiling for this fight since November 2006, when Shi'ite parties walked out of Siniora's coalition Cabinet. Although Lebanon is a democracy, the legitimacy of its government depends on a system of sectarian quotas; without the Shi'ites--the country's largest, fastest-growing group--the Prime Minister, a Sunni, has lacked both validity and street cred. The Shi'ites' price for returning: a greater share of power, including the right to veto major decisions. Siniora and other pro-U.S. members...
...Whoever is behind the recent series of blasts, the intention is clear, says Brahma Chellaney, Professor of Strategic Studies at the Centre for Policy Research in Delhi: "They want to hurt India's economy and they want to provoke sectarian unrest between communities here." The blasts over the past three years, Chellaney and other analysts point out, have all been carried out against "soft" targets such as trains, public buildings and markets. Since 2001, India has tightened security around government officials and government offices. But in a country of India's size and population, it's impossible to guard against...