The Shiite split no longer seems to be limited to central and southern Iraq, the areas of influence of Shiite parties. Its consequences are now also being felt by the Sunni and Kurdish parties in the north and west of the country.
On Aug. 3, the President of Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, warned that Iraq's dangerously tense political and security situation “requires the cooperation of all parties to preserve the security and stability of the country.”