Iraq’s Sunni Cabinet Ministers Suspended

An Iraqi official stated that the Sunni bloc of the Cabinet, Iraqiya, has been suspended since boycotting its sessions. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh stated that with the suspension, the Sunni ministers will not be “allowed to manage ministries, and all decisions that will be signed by them are invalid.” Ali al-Moussawi, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki‘s media adviser, said, ”absent ministers will not be allowed to sign any orders or run their ministries until they stop boycotting cabinet sessions. Then everything will return to normal and they can resume running ministries.” The Sunni bloc ministers began boycotting when Maliki, a Shi’ite, ordered the arrest of Iraq’s Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi. The arrest also led to heightened fears following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the area. The suspension has further increased concerns over sectarian tensions in Iraq’s political landscape.

Recently, Iyad Allawi, the former Prime Minister of Iraq, told U.S. media that “the United States is morally obligated to use its diplomatic muscle to restore ‘sanity’ to Iraq’s political landscape.”  Allawi also said he believes Iraq is in its “most dangerous phase” of modern history, with deaths climbing over 150 in 2012 alone. The attacks seem to mainly be aimed at mainly the Shi’ite population.