If It's Liberated, Mosul Won't Be Safe for Minorities Unless It Adopts Grassroots Democracy

MAKHMUR, Iraq ― Diversity is what defined the land that is now Nineveh Province and its capital city, Mosul, for thousands of years. Like other parts of the Middle East, it is historically multi-ethnic and multi-religious. While many of those who now fight hard to kick the so-called Islamic State out of Mosul pay lip service to the beauty of this cultural richness, their proposals for governance of the region after ISIS are merely scenarios for more ethnic and religious strife. A more logical solution, put into practice already in northern Syria, is hardly ever discussed.

The potentially problematic future of Mosul and Nineveh province is mentioned in practically every background article that is now being published about the battle for Mosul, which finally began on Oct. 17. The issue at hand is how to make sure that the fragile coalition of irregular fighters and official and semi-official armies, both domestic and foreign, doesn’t unravel as soon as the enemy is defeated and lead to yet more strife and retribution.