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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Sunday, March 29, 2009

The first significant "Awakening" conflict in Iraq

It's long been the worry that the Iraqi Shia government would not embrace the Sunni militias created and bought off by the US leading to some return of sectarian violence. On a very small scale, this seems to be happening in Baghdad's Fadhil neighborhood where the Shia government (backed by US forces) has arrested the local "awakening" Sunni leader, and, after some armed Sunni resistance, are now ordering the local Sunnis to disarm.

The geography is important. The Shia seem to be okay with letting the Sunnis maintain themselves out in the Sunni dominated west, but this is in the heart of Baghdad, faultline for sectarian strife. Also, being in Baghdad, this has very high visibility which is hastening the erosion of countrywide Sunni trust.

This is a faultline, and it's cracking.

Also in Iraq, Mowaffak al-Rubaie talks about Iraq's plans to deport/dissolve the anti-Iranian MEK camp in the east of the country. (The US militarily protected the MEK camp until February.)

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