Al Jazeera, 29 Dec 2011 – Months before the US intended to leave Iraq, Sunni Arabs had been raising their complaints: unemployment, marginalisation and arbitrary arrests by the government.
The political crisis has prompted Sunni-dominated areas to call for their own autonomous region.
However, the idea of a Sunni-dominated federal region is not welcome to Nouri al-Maliki’s Shia-led government and many others.
Meanwhile, the United states is pushing ahead with a weapons deal with Iraq despite the near breakdown of the coalition government. Reports suggest the the deal is worth nearly $11bn and includes advanced fighter jets and tanks.
Now the arrest warrant issued against Tariq al-Hashemi, the Sunni vice-president, is adding to Iraq’s religious divisions.