For months there has been growing talk about the outbreak of civil war in Iraq. Concerns and warnings have been mounting since the outbreak of the Sunni demonstrations on Dec. 12, 2012. Concerns grew with the withdrawal of US troops at the end of 2011, not to mention arrest warrants that were issued against former Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi during the same period.

It can be said that the year 2012 was dedicated to consolidating calls for civil wars, not only by those calling for it who have been fomenting sectarian violence, but also by those who rejected it, as they have been fueling speculation about its possible outbreak. They have been intimidating people and urging them to elect certain political lists. They may have been also seeking to make political gains amid a raging political crisis that is still ongoing.

The pertinent question in Iraq today is: “Is Iraq on the verge of a new civil war?”

To answer this question, one ought to study certain factors. Most importantly, it should be noted that following the civil war in Iraq that took place between 2006 and 2008, people realized that the use of weapons would not solve anything and that the results of the war did not come to the advantage of those advocating it, but to the advantage of those who rejected it.