Iraqi Shi‘i Politics

Abstract

Iraq’s 14 million Shi‘is, who make up over 60 percent of its population and more than 80 percent of its Arabs, hold the key to its future. Once Iraq resolves its Kurdish demand for an autonomous federal northern region, it will be left with a tiny minority of Arab Sunnis, and an increased majority of Shi‘is, who will certainly demand wider participation in the decision-making process. Consequently, Shi‘i political attitudes are crucial to Iraq’s stability. Although analyzing Iraq from an ethnic-confessional standpoint does not offer the best insight into its political dynamics, nevertheless it has become necessary in contemporary political analysis of Iraq to do so. This chapter is an attempt to introduce Shi‘i political attitudes and actors and identify their commonly perceived issues and sentiments.