Iraq Plans Census to Map Ethnic Divisions

Lauren DiCiaccio
March 3, 2009
8:45pm

The government in Iraq is planning to hold the first nationwide census in 22 years. The government census will include information on the ethnic and regional groups within the country. There have been other census-taking information gathering activities, but the last one to include the northern region occupied by the Kurds was in 1987. The census information will show the ethnic groups and divisions based on regions. While the numbers will not be known until the census report, Kurds make up and estimated fifth of the population but are underrepresented in many areas. The census will also bring light to ethnically-driven politics, especially in oil-rich areas.

I think the results of the census will bring to light a more representative view of the population make-up, however, it also has the potential to further fuel ethnic divisions. Many of the political decisions allocating wealth, valuable land, and power has come from a skewed perception of ethnic make-up and which groups have power, and more importantly, which groups don't have power but should. This will be particularly interesting for the Kurds, many of whom are supportive of a movement for an independent Kurdistan. This movement has historically been stopped (often violently) from ethnic Turks and Sunni and Shiite Muslims in Iraq. While the census could bring forth an opportunity to make new legislation that is more representative, it could also bring new divides to light.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/gc05/idUKTRE5214RC20090302?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0