For the moment the advance of the ISIS forces seems to be paused/stalled. There is a significant minority population of Sunnis in Baghdad. They are waiting to see what fate has in store for them. Will they fight alongside the ISIS army in what they view as a revolution or will they become the victims of Shi'ite revenge?
Baghdad's Sunni fighters: we are ready for zero hour
Such are the deliberations and calculations of the some of the Sunni of Baghdad, marginalised for years under the Shia prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, now suddenly galvanised by the startling advances of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) to within an hour's drive of the capital. For many ordinary Sunni Baghdadis, the advance of Isis is cause for alarm mixed with a vague hope that somehow Isis and Shia Muslims may severely damage each other, to the general benefit of moderate Sunnis. But for those who have fought for the cause in the past, it appears more like an opportunity.
The Isis advance has been aided by Sunni factions disillusioned with the Shia leadership in Baghdad. Sunni tribal leaders, Ba'ath party members, old army officers and factions of the former insurgency all came together months ago to plan how to take the fight to Maliki.
Iraq appears to be a place where everybody is trying to figure the odds. Maliki's political opponents are jockeying to replace him. The various Americans who are presently on the ground probably have their hands full just trying to figure out who is out to get whom. Regardless of which factions might be in control of Baghdad a month from now, the prospects for anything that looks like peace and stability look very dim.