23 June 2006 One month after choosing a cabinet and pledging to transform Iraq into a country ruled by law under a national unity government, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki finds himself bogged down by the same problems that paralyzed an array of politicians before him. Observers, both in and outside Iraq, look on bewildered as the same sectarian divisions that delayed the government’s formation for six months after the…
Tag: SCIRI
Federalism or Bust
15 September 2006 The debate over Iraqi devolution, which many regard as synonymous with carving the country up into autonomous mini states, has started. The principle was enshrined in the Iraqi constitution adopted last year. But as the stuttering launch of the parliamentary debate underlines, it’s not just the local drivers of the proposal — mainly Shiite groupings and, to a lesser extent, Kurds — whose interests are involved, regional…
Chalabi Named Acting Oil Minister in Iraq
29 April 2005 Three months after Iraqis voted in national elections, the first Shiite-led government in Iraq’s modern history has won the support of the elected National Assembly. However, protracted negotiations among political factions and differences within the biggest Shiite bloc mean that the positions of two deputy premiers and five ministers, including the oil portfolio, have yet to be filled. In a sign of the difficult horse-trading since the…
Perspective: Iraq — the view from Tehran
17 December 2004 With the date fast approaching for the first parliamentary elections since Saddam Hussein was toppled, Baghdad’s neighbors are already fretting about the likely outcome: a Shiite majority for the first time in modern Iraqi history. That could lead to a dramatic shift in the geopolitical balance between Shiite and Sunni Muslims across the Middle East. Expressing the concerns of many in the region, Jordan’s King Abdullah last…