Iraq: The Anbar Handover and Sunni-Shiite Strife

U.S. forces transferred security responsibility for Anbar province, a former hotbed for Sunni insurgents, to Iraqi forces Sept. 1. Anbar is the first Sunni province in the country to come under the control of Iraqi authorities — something that could trigger sectarian strife. To a great degree, the outcome of a Shiite-Sunni struggle over the future of the province will shape the Sunni presence in the Iraqi government, a key hurdle in the U.S.-Iranian negotiations on Iraq.