Strategies to Get Iraq’s Sunnis Into the Fight Against ISIS

The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has received pledges of allegiance from terrorist groups around the Middle East, North Caucuses, and Asia. It has become a powerful force in the chaotic situation in Libya, and is being blamed either directly or as serving for the inspiration for attacks in Europe and the Middle East, including on a tourist-packed resort in Tunisia and a Shia mosque in Kuwait. Despite its growing reach, though, the heart of ISIS remains in its birthplace: Iraq. That was where Abu Musab al-Zarqawi formed the group that, over time, would evolve into the organization that is currently the greatest force in international terrorism. Iraq was where ISIS would be born and nurtured, eventually bursting across both that country and Syria.

It is in Iraq that ISIS is at its most potent. In Syria it faces many opponents, and has faced many serious defeats. Also, in Syria it faces much more resistance from Sunni Arabs, even from among jihadist-salafist Sunni Arabs who hold similar beliefs to theirs. From more extreme forces like the Al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat an-Nusra to the more secular units of the Free Syrian Army, ISIS finds itself challenged on all fronts among Sunnis. Not so in Iraq.

The fall of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province and the symbolic capital of Sunni Iraq, reinforced the narrative that the Sunni Arabs are not willing to fight for Iraq. This is untrue, though. Due to a number of intersecting issues, Sunnis find themselves weaker and more divided than they have been in years, and with much of the areas where they are the majority population now under ISIS control. Even so, there are many Sunnis who have, both in the past and today, been bitterly battling against ISIS, but not in great enough numbers.

Iraq needs to rally its Sunni Arab population into the fight against ISIS. The Kurds have proven reluctant to operate far from the border of their traditional home areas, and the use of the Shia Popular Mobilization Forces militias (PMFs) to liberate Sunni areas is likely to only stir up further resentment and sectarian tensions. Such use of the PMF might prove entirely counterproductive, possibly pushing Sunnis into the arms of ISIS. Especially in Anbar province, it is vital to get the Sunnis actively and constructively engaging in fighting ISIS.

To do this, though, requires policies from the American, Iraqi, and other allied governments that take into account the sensitivities of and contexts related to Iraq’s Sunni Arab population. They will have to address many of the legitimate grievances the Sunnis hold, while also convincing them that the Iraqi government is one worth backing, a government that not only serves the interests of the Shia but will look after the Sunnis as well.

There is no single idea or policy proposal that will have Iraqi Sunnis pledging their undying love and devotion to the government, or to the idea of a unified Iraq. That being said, there are new tactics that can be employed, points that U.S. government, Iraqi government, and their allies will have to work together to implement.

1. Prioritizing Recruitment of Sunnis into the ISF and Passing the National Guard Law

Instead of sponsoring the proliferation of yet more militias and loose weapons, incentives should be put into place to encourage Sunnis to join the regular ISF. Also, the National Guard Law that has been held up in parliament offers a viable means of bringing Sunnis into the fight against ISIS while also keeping them invested in Iraq’s long-term stability. While enlistment into the ISF should be the priority, the National Guard Law offers a viable alternative.

2. Increasing the Pace of Equipping and Training the ISF

Steady and vocal complaints against the pace and scope of American advisory efforts in Iraq are indicators that they are in need of dramatic expansion. The United States should deploy more advisors for both training purposes and oversight of logistics, as well as ship the needed weaponry that (e.g. anti-armor systems) that are desperately needed.

3. Empowering Prime Minister Abadi to Reconcile with the Sunnis

The United States should help Prime Minister Abadi gain the support of Iraq’s Sunni neighbors to combat perceptions among Sunni Iraqis that he is an Iranian puppet. Abadi should also pardon former Vice President Tareq Hashimi, push through amendments to the de-Baathification laws (among others), and release political prisoners.

4. Anti-Corruption Reforms

The Abadi government, with international support, should enact serious reforms targeting the endemic corruption that plagues Iraq and hinders its ability to fight ISIS. Doing so will help convince Sunni Iraqis that this is a government they can trust and support. Recent protests against corruption and government ineptitude have support that crosses the Sunni-Shi’a divide, and offers the opportunity for Abadi to truly make an impact.

5. Relocation and Reconstruction in Sunni Area

The Abadi government should ease restrictions on returning to liberated areas so that the millions of displaced Sunnis can return home. The United States and international community should also aid the Iraqi government in reconstruction efforts. This would symbolize a new start with Sunnis and communicate that they still have a home.

6. Changing Messaging: Ensuring the Sunnis Know We Care

The American and Iraqi governments need to not just change what they are doing, but how they are doing it. Recognizing symbolism and effective messaging are hugely important areas that ISIS is currently winning the battles for.

There are many risks involved, and failure could mean that sectarian issues are only going to be exacerbated. The options laid out represent concrete, workable proposals based on maintaining the integrity and authority of the central government, emphasizing national unity, state capacity building, and respect and recognition for Sunnis. They are not radical impositions, but based on the basic mutual obligations and responsibilities that come with being a citizen in and government of a nation-state.

Iraq can be saved. Iraq has a future.

Title Photo Credit: Getty Images