Pulling Iraq Back from the Edge of Civil War


 

Publication Date: February 2006

Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): James Phillips

Research Area: Politics

Keywords: Middle East; civil war; Askariya shrine bombing

Type: Brief

Coverage: Iraq

Abstract:

The sectarian violence following the bombing of the Shiite shrine in Samarra has pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war and dealt a major setback to U.S. efforts to build a stable democracy--just as it was intended to do. As bad as the current situation is, it underscores the point that most Iraqi factions are better served by sharing power in a broad-based government than by following the call of Islamic extremists on either side.