How Iraq’s Maliki Defined Limits of U.S. Power
At Reuters, Warren Strobel, Missy Ryan, David Rohde, and Ned Parker report that the U.S. relationship with Iraqi Prime Minster Nuri al-Maliki has shaped American influence in the region. The U.S. has officially supported Maliki since 2006, even while the prime minister’s persistent focus on triumphing over political opponents and consolidating power exacerbated Iraq’s underlying sectarian divisions. “Maliki has governed more as a defender of the Shi’ites than as an inclusive national leader,” the authors write, which has weakened recent American requests for help from Iraqi political leaders to repel ISIL’s expansion.