Abstract: The article discusses politics in Iraq, and the need to create a national unity government. The author argues that if there were no insurgency, the political arena in Iraq might have been dominated by the same political parties based on religious beliefs and ethnic identification, only they would have allied in different ways. Still, their interests would have generated a government that included all the major constituencies, except extremists unwilling to renounce violence. It is also argued that the American political environment would also be affected.