Iraq’s New Government Confronts Challenges on All Fronts

(The Soufan Center) The newly inaugurated Iraqi government of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi faces the same pressures as its predecessors did, stemming from Iranian-U.S. competition for influence in Iraq. U.S. officials have sought to shape Zaidi’s government to its advantage by sanctioning potential cabinet nominees they consider aligned with Iran and threatening to withhold U.S. financial and political cooperation. Even with U.S. pressure, Zaidi will proceed cautiously in disarming militias linked to Iran, in fear of sparking civil unrest, even though the militia attacks on key Arab Gulf states are harming relations with both the Gulf and the U.S. The announcement last week by powerful Shia cleric Muqtada a-Sadr that his militia would fold into the national command structure will bolster Zaidi’s efforts to establish a state monopoly over Iraq’s armed forces, though a contingent of Iran-backed militias remain unintegrated. – Iraq’s New Government Confronts Challenges on All Fronts – The Soufan Center