The legacy of Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime facilitated the success of ISIL in Iraq.
![The crisis in Iraq has logically escalated with the advent of ISIL from Syria and the forging of a strategic alliance with the main Sunni military group, writes Zafirov [AP]](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/2014122593920943734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)

Miroslav Zafirov is an associate professor at the New Bulgarian University and member of its Centre for Middle Eastern and Gulf Studies. He recently joined the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq as a political adviser.
The legacy of Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime facilitated the success of ISIL in Iraq.
![The crisis in Iraq has logically escalated with the advent of ISIL from Syria and the forging of a strategic alliance with the main Sunni military group, writes Zafirov [AP]](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/2014122593920943734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)