The largest Iraqi political groups are making a joint effort to create national cohesion, and the decision by Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC) Chairman Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim and Sadr group leader Muqtada al-Sadr to sign an agreement to create a Supreme Joint Committee is an important step.

The positive outcome of this important political event will surely be reflected through an improvement in the security situation in the near future, which will save Iraq from the instability caused by the political and parliamentary disagreements.
Despite the fact that Iraq is relatively inexperienced in regard to democratic and parliamentary activities, the political experiences of some of the leaders of the majority factions’ parties will give a boost to efforts to establish a democratic system.
However, the disputes between Iraqi Shia factions over the past three years have led to major confrontations, and this has hindered the democratization process.
Of course, the Iraqi nation has been the main loser of the political dispute, especially in regard to the differences between the majority factions, and the winners have been the terrorist groups and the extremist movements that oppose the majority.
Due to historical, geographical, and ideological ties with certain Arab countries, Iraq’s minority factions, which are mostly opposed to the majority factions, are trying to prevent the establishment of any kind of democracy in the country because they believe they will be the losers in the aftermath of the collapse of the dictatorial regime.
The dubious ties of the minority group, which had ruled Iraq for 80 years, with certain Arab governments, and those countries’ efforts to return them to power have widened the gap between Iraq’s majority and minority factions.
Many members of Iraq’s minority group do not accept the concept of majority rule because they believe they are entitled to rule Iraq by themselves and should not have to share power.
In addition, neighboring Arab countries fear that the establishment of democracy in Iraq will empower and unite the majority, who were marginalized for decades.
The minority factions and certain neighboring countries are trying to obstruct the democratization process, which is one of the causes of the current security crisis. Thus, majority faction leaders must unite to bring the situation under control.
The suspicious moves of certain advocates of the majority factions over the past few months could have led to a serious confrontation between the factions, but the vigilance of religious authorities and the leaders of the majority factions’ parties prevented an unwanted conflict.
Hence, the recent decision by SIIC Chairman Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim and Muqtada al-Sadr to establish a joint committee was a shrewd political move that will pave the way for the major Shia groups’ efforts to settle their differences.
If the agreement can be implemented and supporters of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council and the Sadr movement declare their commitment to the pact, then majority factions in various regions of Iraq, and especially in the southern and al-Forat regions, will be able to come together, and Iraq’s enemies will be unable to undermine efforts to unite the Shias