Violence against minority groups in Iraq continued at catastrophic levels in 2007, and the mounting impact has been felt region-wide. Sectarian and ethnic war has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, driven ancient minority communities to the edge of destruction, and sparked an exodus from Iraq of epic proportions. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have sought refuge in Middle Eastern countries, and have placed a particularly heavy burden on Jordan and Syria. The war in Iraq has also been one of the main reasons for a deterioration in the relationship between the US and Iran. Mounting tension has worked to the detriment of ethnic and sectarian minorities there, whom the government accuses of receiving Western assistance. Polarization between the Arab world and the West has also contributed to Lebanon’s political crisis, in which alleged Syrianbacked assassinations of minority politicians have brought the country back to the brink of war. Meanwhile, efforts resumed to forge a peace between Israel and the long-marginalized Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza, now controlled by rival factions Fatah and Hamas,respectively. (Download file to read full report)
