Sectarian Rivalry in Iraqi Government

While Sunni Muslims previously dominated the government in Iraq in governing over a largely Shiite population, the government is now overwhelmingly Shiite due to the intervention the United States. While the government is perhaps more representative than it was previously, the Shiite government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki is now refusing to give the Sunni political bloc any of the requested positions in cabinet.

This new polar shift in governing has put the Shiite majority, which was suppressed under the rule of Saddam Hussein, in a very powerful position. A position that the Sunni party Tawafiq claims is now responsible for the killing of thousands of Sunnis in Baghdad.

With the recent refusal of political seats, the Sunni party is now in limbo and reconsidering negotiations, with a possibility of continuing the yearlong boycott. As in any democracy, it can be very useful to have a coalition government of sorts, especially when governing over a people that have previously been susceptible to sectarian violence. While we have previously seen an unfairly Sunni dominated government, the current government is overwhelmingly Shiite and seemingly unwilling to offer seats to a Sunni party. While on governmental problem has been solved, it has created another because of a backlash of historical persecution. The "exportation" of democracy has not been as successful as it would seem. You cannot simply remove a traditionally ruling group from government without ensuring their own representation.