The cycle of revolution and dictatorship plagued the government of Iraq for many years. The religious and ethnic divisions within Iraq fueled this cycle of revolution and dictatorship. The countryâs population is divided into two major religious groups (www.ciaworldfactbook.com). About sixty percent of the country is Shia Muslims and about forty percent of the country is Sunni Muslims (www.ciaworldfactbook.com). These two groups have fought for control of Iraq since the country was first formed in 1932.