海角大神

During Iraq's provincial election, Shiite politician and cleric Muqtada al-Sadr allied with Sunni political blocs to successfully challenge Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki鈥檚 ruling party 鈥� a brief glimmer of hope that Iraq was edging toward reconciliation.

The pairing took many off guard. During Iraq鈥檚 brutal civil war, which began in 2006 and dragged on for more than two years, Shiites and Sunnis squared off, leaving tens of thousands dead.听The rival factions听never completely reconciled. Last spring鈥檚 election was the first glimpse of possible progress.

But several months later and after levels of violence not seen since 2008, most Iraqis say the political听union was more听of a statement about both groups鈥� dislike of Mr. Maliki than an actual desire to work with one another. Now, many Iraqis fear that听their civil war never really ended 鈥� instead it听just morphed into a听cold war that leaves the nation vulnerable to a renewal of sectarian violence.

鈥淭he cold war means we live in fear and we鈥檙e afraid of others and ourselves,鈥� says Sa鈥檃d Salloum, a political science professor at Baghdad's Mustansiriya University who has written extensively on minorities and Iraq鈥檚 ethnic makeup. 鈥淭he civil war is in our minds. We can鈥檛 change the country without changing our minds.鈥�

Iraq鈥檚 sectarian violence declined steadily after 2008, but听bloodshed has been on the rise again听since听the beginning of this year.听In Baghdad, residents have been subjected to almost daily explosions since July. More than 5,000 people have听been killed so far this year.听

Tensions boiled over in parliament recently when members came to blows during a debate about whether to remove pictures of Iran鈥檚 revolutionary leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, from the streets of Baghdad. For many Shiites he remains a popular figure,听but听for many Sunnis the pictures are a symbol of creeping Iranian influence.

Sunnis have long voiced concerns about exclusion from the post-Saddam Hussein government. Last winter thousands gathered to protest what they see as听an effort, led by Maliki, to consolidate Shiite power.

鈥淭he very weak efforts for reconciliation have failed,鈥� says Maysoon Al-Damluji, a member of parliament. 鈥淎 large portion of Iraqis, mainly Sunnis feel that they have been disenfranchised鈥�. I see Iraq dismantling and I think the reason is that there was no intention to bring together all Iraqi factions to make plans for the future.鈥�

Many Iraqis say that if Sadr, one of the most influential Shiites in the country, and his Sunni allies succeed in removing Maliki from office in the next election cycle, Sunnis and Shiites听are听more likely to turn on each other than work toward a new unity government.

The Syrian war next door to Iraq has also helped to drudge up a number of dormant sectarian issues. Sunnis tend to support the opposition and Shiites gravitate toward听the Syrian government, as members from each group move back and forth across the border to help their allies and refugees flood into the country.

Saad Sirophanna, a Catholic priest in Baghdad, says that although the 海角大神 community remains relatively neutral, he鈥檚 seen a steady stream of his听parishioners leaving Iraq. Aside from the risk of getting caught up in the violence, the strain and uncertainty it's placed on the economy is听driving many people outside the country.

鈥淪ince the beginning of 2013, things have听gotten听much worse, especially because of the situation in Syria, which is reflecting on the situation in Iraq," Mr.听Sirophanna听says. 鈥淭his conflict is affecting so much of the life of society itself. People are desperate, tired, and afraid."