Who's Who in the Iraq Crisis
Understanding the conflict in Iraq begins with the k**wledge that—in a very general sense—the three main population groups are Shiites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds.
Although ** reliable census exists, surveys suggest that Shiites make up the biggest part of the population. Shiites control the national government and the security forces, and are mostly located in the south. Sunni Arabs reside predominantly in the west. And the Kurds control a semi-auto**mous region in the **rth.