'The vast majority of Iraq's politicians simply do not care about real reform; and even if they did, they wouldn’t have the faintest idea of how to approach the problem because they’re so incompetent.
The only long-term solution to Iraq's ISIL and to the presence of groups like ISIL is to upend the political system by making its politicians more accountable, and that can only be achieved through major electoral reform.'<blockquote>'The long-term picture, however, remains fairly bleak for Iraq. A long-term solution to ISIL requires much, much more than recapturing territory. If the Iraqi state wants to prevent ISIL (or a different version of the organisation) from regaining a foothold in the country after it has been pushed out pursuant to the current effort, then it will have to implement a real and comprehensive counterinsurgency effort.
That will require major reform to the security sector, to the justice sector (including the courts), to prison facilities, etc. All of these things are needed not just to reassure local populations that the state will now be treating them more equitably, but also to ensure that criminals will be punished while the innocent will be protected, which has not been the case thus far.
Under current circumstances, however, there is no way that any of these things will take place. Iraq's political system is simply too decrepit and too dysfunctional for major reform to be carried out.
Sectarianism, corruption and incompetence among the political class are too entrenched.
The vast majority of Iraq's politicians simply do not care about real reform; and even if they did, they wouldn’t have the faintest idea of how to approach the problem because they’re so incompetent.
The only long-term solution to Iraq's ISIL and to the presence of groups like ISIL is to upend the political system by making its politicians more accountable, and that can only be achieved through major electoral reform.'
- Zaid al-Ali,
A long-term solution to ISIL in Iraq requires much more than recapturing territory, June 7, 2016</blockquote>
Context<blockquote>
The Law of Revenge: Deadly Hatred among Anti-IS Alliance in Iraq, June 1, 2016
'It’s hard to overstate how hamstrung the Islamic State will be by its radicalism .. As it stagnates or slowly shrinks..''..asking ourselves why the phenomenon of terror occurred..''..a realistic concept of what is achievable and in what time frame.' (Global peace in the 24th century)</blockquote>