Abstract:

After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq policy developed into a division axis that can be classified as Shia, Sunni, Arab and Kurdish. In this respect, making up the majority of the population, Shias have suffered from serious oppression and injustice for many years in the Ba'ath regime. Having failed to evade the accusation of spying for Iran by the Ba'ath regime for years, Iraq Shias have become the most important player in Iraq policy after the fall of the Ba'ath regime. However it has always been a question mark whether Iraqi Shias will adopt an Iran-oriented policy or Western-oriented policy given that they were divided into two groups as secular and religious. Losing Iraqi Shia community means leaving oil basins of the Persian Gulf to Iran, which is a great loss for the West. It is, on the other hand, impossible for Shias with strong religious beliefs to break their close relations with Iran. Accordingly, this study aims to analyze the political situation and rising influence of Shias while also dwelling on the role of the 2003 US invasion in this situation. In the light of afore-cited info, the first chapter makes a general analysis on Iraq and Shiism

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