Iraq inches towards three-way split

“There is now a public acceptance of the idea of separation, and this acceptance stems from the facts on the ground,” said Zuheir al-Sharba, deputy secretary-general of the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, one of Shiite Islam’s main pilgrimage centers. “The facts on the ground are clear. Before 2003, I as an Arab from Najaf could go to Erbil and buy a house and live there. It is no longer permitted to me. And now it is also not possible for me in Mosul, either.”

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Openly sectarian policies by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who ruled in 2006-2014, have contributed to this split, and to the rise of Islamic State, by alienating many Sunni Arabs and Kurds. The new prime minister, Mr. Abadi, has adopted a more embracing tone, promising national reconciliation and a more inclusive government. He struck a deal on sharing oil revenues with the Kurds and appointed a Sunni as minister of defense. His outreach, however, may be too little too late.

“Iraq is passing through a final stage now. Either it will rectify itself or, God forbid, it will be facing a huge catastrophe,” Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi, a nonsectarian politician and former prime minister, said in an interview “This is the last mile for Iraq.”

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