About
Between 2003 and 2011, the United States maintained a large military presence in Iraq in an attempt to build a stable, democratic society in that country. That effort, most experts agree, has failed. Today Iraq is a country bitterly divided by civil war. The conflict has emerged along sectarian lines: members of Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority have joined with Islamist rebels from Syria to form the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which has seized control over large areas of territory from the Shiite Muslim majority in Iraq's elected government. Kurds in the north have remained loyal to the Iraqi government so far, but have not ruled out the possibility of breaking away from Iraq to form their own country at some point. The continuing unrest is a major concern to the international community because of Iraq's strategic importance. With the world's second-largest proven oil reserves, Iraq holds great economic value for an energy-hungry globe. As one of the largest Arab states, Iraq is politically important in the region as well. If Iraqis cannot resolve their problems, the ongoing conflict will continue to have a destabilizing effect on the entire Middle East.