Most of Mosul is liberated from the Islamic State. Once Mosul is fully liberated the IS will only remain in control of a few large towns and small cities in Iraq and will likely lose most of those too by the end of year. While getting rid of the IS will certainly be a blessing for a country long torn by war and Islamic extremism, it begs the question of what is next for Iraq?
Will their be yet another civil war with the pro-Iran militias in the People's Mobilization trying to purge all the Sunnis and Iraqi nationalists? Will the Iraqi Army fight the Peshmerga in a bid to reclaim the territory they occupy outside Iraqi Kurdistan? Will there be another Sunni and/or Baathist uprising?
To be honest, given the extremely diverse and volatile nature of Iraqi society and the instability (and incompetence) of the Iraqi government, I just do not see a peaceful future for Iraq. As for what should be done to stabilize Iraq I have heard many things from simply helping the Iraqi government build up their military to outright launching a second invasion of Iraq and create a new government for them (unlike the hands off approach the US took last time which led to Nouri al-Maliki's pro-Iran Shia Islamist government), and have a long term commitment to their security and stability.
Personally, I think Iraq is just doomed no matter what approach is taken. Even Saddam Hussein and his iron fist barely kept the diverse country stable. Perhaps partitioning the country is the only real practical way they will have peace. What do you think is next for Iraq and what is the best way for Iraq to achieve peace?
MOD EDIT: The thread has served its purpose in eliciting a number of responses, ranging from 'uninformed' to 'bewildered' with a couple of exceptions. Thread locked. You may ensure your threads last longer by quitting with the attack helicopter stuff.
