--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The story, which has seemed to be all…" description: "\"“The story, which has seemed to be all about religion and military developments, is actually mostly about politics: access to government revenue and se..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/anonymous-1_justice_the-story-which-has-seemed-to-be-all-abo_485090.jpg" --- # The story, which has seemed to be all about religion and… ![“The story, which has seemed to be all about religion and military developments, is actually mostly about politics: access to government revenue and services, a say in decision-making, and a modicum of social justice. True, one side is Sunni and the other Shia, but this is not a theological…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/anonymous-1_justice_the-story-which-has-seemed-to-be-all-abo_485090.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/anonymous-1_justice_the-story-which-has-seemed-to-be-all-abo_485090.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/anonymous-1_justice_the-story-which-has-seemed-to-be-all-abo_485090.jpg) > ““The story, which has seemed to be all about religion and military developments, is actually mostly about politics: access to government revenue and services, a say in decision-making, and a modicum of social justice. True, one side is Sunni and the other Shia, but this is not a theological conflict rooted in the seventh century. ISIS and its allies have triumphed because the Sunni populations of Mosul and Tikrit and Fallujah have welcomed and supported them—not because of ISIS’s disgusting behavior, but in spite of it. The Sunnis in these towns are more afraid of what their government may do to them than of what the Sunni militia might. They have had enough of years of being marginalized while suffering vicious repression, lawlessness, and rampant corruption at the hands of Iraq’s Shia-led government. What is happening now—not its details, but its essentials—was clearly evident at the time of President Bush’s “surge” seven years ago. The premise for the added American troops then was that insecurity in Iraq blocked political reconciliation. If the violence could be reduced, the administration argued, reconciliation would follow—but it didn’t. The important agreements on the eighteen political “benchmarks” specified by the US never were carried out and haven’t been to this day. (They included, for example, laws that were supposed to distribute oil revenue equitably and reverse the purge of Baathists from government.) When a government is wrenched apart, especially an authoritarian one, a struggle for political power immediately fills the vacuum. In Iraq the struggle has been, and continues to be, within sectarian groups almost as much as between them. Among the Shia, for example, Muqtada al-Sadr has openly opposed Maliki. The US presence forced the struggle into nonviolent channels for a while, but it could neither remove nor resolve the multiple contests for political power that continued to be fought.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The conflict is driven more by political power, resource control, and marginalization than by pure religious differences, with Sunni grievances fueling support for extremist groups. **In simple terms:** Politics and marginalization fuel the violence, not just religion. Key Takeaway Address political inclusion and equitable resource distribution. Themes politics sectarianism resource control government legitimacy marginalization Mood analytical critical concerned Type political analysis conflict commentary sociopolitical insight When to use this quote - policy reform - community dialogue - resource sharing - government accountability - reconciliation initiatives Key Concepts power dynamics state failure social justice conflict escalation Questions to Reflect On - How can political reforms reduce sectarian support for extremism? - What mechanisms ensure equitable resource distribution? A Different Perspective Ignoring underlying political grievances can perpetuate violence despite military efforts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Political power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-power/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Social justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-justice/) ## Related quotes > [Success in Iraq will be a major setback for terrorists and a major asset for the security of this region. 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One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) James Cross Giblin [Browse all 16,724 Israel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The story, which has seemed to be all about religion and military developments, is actually mostly about politics: access to government revenue and services, a say in decision-making, and a modicum of social justice. True, one side is Sunni and the other Shia, but this is not a theological conflict rooted in the seventh century. ISIS and its allies have triumphed because the Sunni populations of Mosul and Tikrit and Fallujah have welcomed and supported them—not because of ISIS’s disgusting behavior, but in spite of it. The Sunnis in these towns are more afraid of what their government may do to them than of what the Sunni militia might. They have had enough of years of being marginalized while suffering vicious repression, lawlessness, and rampant corruption at the hands of Iraq’s Shia-led government. What is happening now—not its details, but its essentials—was clearly evident at the time of President Bush’s “surge” seven years ago. The premise for the added American troops then was that insecurity in Iraq blocked political reconciliation. If the violence could be reduced, the administration argued, reconciliation would follow—but it didn’t. The important agreements on the eighteen political “benchmarks” specified by the US never were carried out and haven’t been to this day. (They included, for example, laws that were supposed to distribute oil revenue equitably and reverse the purge of Baathists from government.) When a government is wrenched apart, especially an authoritarian one, a struggle for political power immediately fills the vacuum. In Iraq the struggle has been, and continues to be, within sectarian groups almost as much as between them. Among the Shia, for example, Muqtada al-Sadr has openly opposed Maliki. 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