July 28th, 2008 by Sarah

Ned Parker in the L.A. Times warns that Iraq’s “political horizon is clouded” by dangerous ethnic rivalries “with no resolution in sight.”

Robert Dreyfuss at The Nation agrees, claiming that Iraq is “poised to explode” for various reasons. “The first is the brewing crisis over Kirkuk, where the pushy Kurds are demanding control and Iraq’s Arabs are resisting. The second is in the west, and Anbar, where the US-backed Sons of Iraq sahwa (”Awakening”) movement is moving to take power against the Iraqi Islamic Party, a fundamentalist Sunni bloc. And third is the restive Mahdi Army of Muqtada al-Sadr, which is chafing at gains made by its Iranian-backed rival, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq.”  

Likewise, Juan Cole at Informed Comment reports that this weekend attempts to come to a compromise on Iraq’s provincial elections have failed.

Posted in Iraq, Kurds, Legislation, Sectarianism, US foreign policy |