Issues in Iraq

     Al-Qaeda forces have been taking control of major cities in Western Iraq, creating a religious civil war. ISIS, or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is backed by Al-Qaeda forces, and is currently one of the wealthiest terrorist groups around. It all started with continuous tensions between the two groups of Iraq, the Shiites and the Sunni. Current Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is a Shiite Muslim, along with many of the government officials. ISIS consists of Sunni militants, and they feel that they are left out from politics. This minority group has continued to gain extreme members due to the civil war going on in Syria, offering refuge to those who need it in return for trust.
     Most people view issues in Iraq as a bad thing. ISIS's attacks have continuously resulted in poor security for the citizens. Iraq's army itself is doubtful of its ability to continue to provide protection. To make matters worse, tens of thousands of refuges are escaping to Iraq from Syria. The Iraqi army needs to maintain the security of the border, and this is tiring out the security forces.
     These issues in Iraq are mostly bad, but there is some good. Today, citizens are able to protest about the poor government in Iraq. Provincial councils are becoming more influential to the government, and politics has become local to develop a civil society. The citizens of Iraq are not joining in on the violence, and society is working with the councils to provide better basic needs. Under Saddam Hussein 10 years ago, this was not occurring at all.
     Different countries have different views on this because no one knows what to do to solve Iraq's issue. In the United States, troops being in Iraq was negatively viewed, which is why President Obama withdrew all US forces in 2012. Now, there are "military advisors" there to assist Iraq, and the US cannot possibly withdraw completely from Iraq's issues. For sure, it is in everyone's interest to solve this long war. Continuous violence is not going to do any good for anyone.

http://inthecapital.streetwise.co/all-series/bullet-points-your-guide-to-understand-everything-thats-going-on-in-iraq-right-now/
http://www.usip.org/olivebranch/iraq-today-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly