Prior to the current security crisis in Iraq, the heads of provincial councils from throughout the country had held meetings in December 2013 and then again in February 2014. The first meeting was held in Basra, the second in Baghdad and a third in Mosul. The meetings were supposed to send a message to the Prime Minister about the importance of granting the provincial authorities the powers they were entitled to.
There have been demonstrations in Shiite Muslim majority provinces where protestors demanded better services. There were also demonstrations in the Sunni Muslim-majority areas, where locals wanted more power over their own security and the departure of an Iraqi army they felt was treating them unfairly and harshly.
Even today the provincial councils are still asking that Law 21 be used.
For some this law represents one way out of the mess the country is in, a way that leads the country away from splitting into three separate states. It wouldn’t require Constitutional amendments and it wouldn’t take years to work, just commitment from all parties. The question is: Is it still possible to use Law 21 or has it become impossible due to the current crisis and the last Iraqi government’s policies?
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