With U.S. support, Iraqi forces are now preparing to drive Islamic State (IS) from the city of Mosul, its main Iraqi redoubt, and the rest of the province of Nineveh. David Petraeus is confident that they will succeed, but less confident that America and its local allies can keep the peace and avoid the rise of what he terms “Islamic State 3.0.” Drawing on his experiences subduing the same province in 2003, Petraeus outlines the necessary steps for bringing stability:
Nineveh’s Sunni Arabs, in particular, will need considerable reassurances that their interests will be adequately represented. . . . But so will the Kurdish citizens of Nineveh (of multiple political parties), as well as Shiite Arabs, Shiite and Sunni Turkmen, Yazidis, Christians, Shabak [another religious minority], and numerous tribes.
The best vehicle for carrying this out would be a provincial council like the one set up in 2003. . . Importantly, [the Iran-backed] Shiite militias should play no role in post-IS security and governance. . . . [Furthermore, the central government led by] Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi will need to be prepared to make more explicit commitments about resources, and also perhaps grant the region greater autonomy in determining spending priorities. . . .
The process . . . will be difficult and intense. But having enabled the defeat of the Islamic States, . . . the United States, together with its numerous coalition partners, will have considerable influence over the resolution of the issues. It will have to exercise that influence.
Read more on Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/the-challenge-in-mosul-wont-be-to-defeat-the-islamic-state-it-will-be-what-comes-after/2016/08/12/ce972904-5f2a-11e6-af8e-54aa2e849447_story.html