Iraq Studies

Iraq Institute for strategic studies

Maliki and the Rest: A Crisis within a Crisis

ENGLISH

عربي

Text Box: Synopsis On the surface, the multifaceted crisis engulfing Iraqi politics crisis began with an arrest warrant issued against Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi and a number of his security staff on alleged terrorism charges (17 December 2011). However it spiraled into a wider confrontation, inviting an array of broad forces, groups led by Barzani, Sadr, and Allawi, working either to constrain and limit Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki�s seemingly unlimited powers, or, if need be, unseat him through a no-confidence motion Maliki may well seem firmly in the saddle, receiving somewhat favourable ratings in recent polls. Yet the potential to have him removed from office cannot be altogether discounted, as the three major blocs continue to challenge the PM, despite Iraqi President Jalal Talabani�s suspension of the no-confidence movement The root causes of the current crisis are ramified and, in part, have direct links to Maliki�s strategy that has developed from one of survival (2006-8) to one of mega-centralized power (2010-present), moving towards absolute leadership vis-�is the opposition and vis-�is his own Shi�i community By dint of the crisis, a trans-ethnic and trans-communal broad alliance has emerged for the first time in the post-2003 transition, perhaps ushering Iraq into an embryonic phase of pan-national politics revolving around redefining the basics of division of power and institutional checks and balances Based on in-depth research and discussions with officials from each of the sides of the conflict over the last six months or so, this report examines the nuances of the current crisis and prospects for the future

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