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Originally Posted by AltaGuy
This is one of those situations that has the majority of the international community absolutely baffled, and stems in large part from another situation that had the international community largely baffled in Syria.
ISIS is completely insane (and horrible). But the grievances of the Sunni community in Iraq and in Syria are not. Saudi Arabia supports the Sunnis, and to a lesser degree ISIS itself.
The historical grievances of Shia in Iraq are certainly not without merit as well, but the way al-Maliki governed Iraq was completely idiotic. Like Morsi in Egypt, al-Maliki was elected fairly and then proceeded to immediately act like a despot; unlike Egypt, the military junta was not waiting in the wings for the smallest slip-up.
Democracy, rule of law, and nation-building are going to take a long, long time in the Middle East, whether in Iraq, Egypt, Palestine or elsewhere. It would also really help if democratically-elected leaders didn't become absolutely mindless once they assumed power.
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I don't think the problem is that they become mindless once they take power. The problem is that the only way leaders can survive in these environments is to exert power. It's what people respect (and fear) in many parts of the world. People who get power by "winning an election" just aren't respected everywhere.
It's a mistake to think that democracy is a natural system that can exist in every situation. The vast majority of people who exist today (and that have ever existed on this planet) do not, and have not existed in free and democratic nations. For democracy and freedom to exist, it requires very specific parameters and a relatively liberal cultural mindset. You aren't going to convince an entire population over there to accept democracy any faster than you would convince Americans to accept an absolute Monarchy to rule their country. The best you can hope for is some measure of stability.
Even in the West where democracy has become an institution in most countries, there were decades of revolts and upheavals before it became mainstream.