Bound Volume Number
4
Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-1-2015
Capstone Advisor
Seth Jolly, Assistant Professor of Political Science
Honors Reader
Hossein Bashiriyeh, Professor of Political Science
Capstone Major
International Relations
Capstone College
Arts and Science
Audio/Visual Component
no
Keywords
Sunni, Shiite, conflict studies, Middle East, Islam
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Social Sciences
Subject Categories
International Relations | Near and Middle Eastern Studies
Abstract
The Iraqi state has a long history of division between Sunnis and Shiites. This conflict has often been violent and continues even today. Ultimately, this division dates back to the seventh century after the death of Muhammad. In order to better understand why there is a conflict between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq and not other countries, it is essential to understand the similarities and differences between their ideologies but also how they have been rooted against each other throughout history. Therefore, I begin with a description of the similarities and differences between Sunnis and Shiites to show the common beliefs of both Sunnis and Shiites regarding the Islamic religion and why it is important to respect their differences. Then, it is necessary to determine how the conflict between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq began and why it continues today. Lastly, using this knowledge, I will make recommendations to improve the current Iraqi government through a revised consociational democracy model in order to resolve conflict between Sunnis and Shiites.
Recommended Citation
Modica, Kelsey L., "A Path to Peace: Reconciling the Sunni-Shi’a Conflict in Iraq" (2015). Honors Capstone Projects - All. 841.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/841
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
