Last week tens of thousands of mainly-Sunni Iraqis turned out in protests against the Government of Nuri al-Maliki, blocking roads to Jordan and Syria.
The catalyst for the most recent demonstrations was the raid by security forces on the home and offices of Minister of Finance Rafa al-Issawi, the highest-ranked Sunni in the Government after Vice President Tariq Hashimi fled the country following the accusation that he supervised death squads. However, long-standing grievances include discrimination, marginalisation of Sunnis, and the anti-terrorism law.
Al Jazeera English's Inside Story discusses the situation with Saad al-Muttalibi, a political advisor to the Government; Anas al-Tikriti, the CEO of the Cordoba Foundation; and Kurdish journalist Hiwa Osman.