Word: sectarianism
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...talks underscored the fact that the U.S. may now be turning toward a more aggressive posture against elements of Sadr's militia. Al-Qaeda in Iraq remains a formidable threat; a senior U.S. military official in Baghdad called it the organization most likely to push Iraq's vicious sectarian conflict into a full-blown civil war. But American efforts to turn tribal leaders and armed Sunni groups against the jihadists in their midst have borne fruit in the security realm this year, although such groups remain harshly critical of the Maliki government. That government has made no discernible progress bringing...
...Western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Maliki's advisers appear split on the issue. Some of them appear to be urging Maliki to renew the Tawafiq partnership in an effort to stop already deep sectarian rifts from widening still further. Others close to the Prime Minister seem to think that the Sunni bloc is best let go, since virtually no political compromises ever seemed reachable with them. What Maliki himself is willing to consider will only be revealed if peace talks with Tawafiq falter. "We have a situation evolving right now that might lead to some fairly...
...latest election results and the wider campaign against the government reflects not so much an attack on democracy as it does the failure of the country's sectarian system to resolve internal disputes. The system, which reserves the presidency for the Maronite Christians, the Prime Minister's job for a Sunni, the speaker of parliament for a Shi'ite and generally distributes power on the basis of ethnicity and sect, was originally created to achieve stability through a careful balance of power. Instead, it has produced political deadlock and a system dominated by leaders whose domestic power is based...
...partisan, he has surrounded himself with a group of like-minded advisers and pursued policies that, far from healing the country's sectarian wounds, have often aggravated them. While Maliki has himself been careful to act the conciliator, especially in conversations with President Bush and American politicians visiting Baghdad, his aides have repeatedly ridiculed and humiliated Sunni leaders, and ignored the advice of secular politicians...
...Iraqi security forces. The checkpoints are an improvement over the open roads that previously prevailed, but they are only as effective as the soldiers manning them. In Madain, as elsewhere in Iraq, the security forces are dominated by Shi'ites. Grigsby is aware of the danger of sectarian bias in their operations...