... by the Iraqi leadership to defend against threats to its incumbency. In recent years, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has increasingly pursued engagement with Iranian representatives in an effort to counter domestic challenges and consolidate state resources. However, while the present Iraqi elite has attracted...

... not lead to national reconciliation. Meanwhile, Bush has given Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki governmental benchmarks to meet, has sent more troops to drive insurgents out of Baghdad, and has armed Sunni tribes to fight al Qaeda. After reviewing key events, the essay assesses the prospects for the future...

... the 2011 US military withdrawal 2.  Prime Minister Nuri al-­Maliki’s repression of Sunni political opponents 3.  The Syrian civil war, which has attracted thousands of Sunni foreign fighters eager for sectarian combat. Baghdadi’s April 2013 creation of ISIS linked Iraq and Syria...

... with the Shiite politicians who are now domi- nant in Iraq and what reciprocity exists? What do the Iraqis think about Iran and its ambitions? A few Iraqi politicians, mostly Sunnis, regard Iran as a threat, but most do not. In March 2008, Iraqi prime minister Nouri Kamal al-Maliki, greet- ing visiting...

... of the country by the end of 2011. That is also the wish of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki’s government and a majority of the Iraqi people. The first step in that process was the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq’s cities (with the exception of Mosul, where the anti- government insurgency remains potent...

... completely if implemented. Turkey also has little in the way of positive expectations from the Iraqi government. On 8 August, Prime Minister Erdogan met in Ankara with Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. Both agreed that removing the PKK from northern Iraq would be a top priority, but al-Maliki...

... in the Saudi-­Iranian rivalry. The Shiite-­led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-­Maliki has increasingly tilted toward Iran on an array of issues, and Baghdad has firmly resisted pressure from Sunni governments in the Middle East (as well as from Washington) to sup- port stronger sanctions against...

..., providing the professional skills that routed the army of Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-­Maliki, a sectarian kleptocrat put in office by the Bush administration — after he lost the elections. Unfortunately, the Barak Obama White House, determined to head for the exits as it correctly believes...

... February 2007, 4–6. 9. “Interview with Dick Cheney, Lynne Cheney,” Larry King Live, CNN, 30 May 2005, transcript, 4. 24  Mediterranean Quarterly: Summer 2007 approved the Islamist-leaning government of Nouri al-Maliki in April 2006, the editors of the National Review hailed the development...

...-­Maliki in 2011 failed and US troops left the country. Sec- ond, Iraq continues to be unstable and caught in sectarian and ethnic hostil- ity. Third, Iran has taken advantage of the US withdrawal and expanded its leverage and influence in Iraq. Many officials in the Persian Gulf Arab states claim...

... Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been unable to acquire legitimacy from its Sunni constituents. After the February 2006 bombing of the al-Askariya mosque — one of the most sacred shrines of the Shiites — Iraq steadily plunged into a sectarian-based conflict that resembles civil war. Whichever group...

... that was its pur- pose, both on the part of Washington and the AKP. When Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki visited Ankara on 16 – 17 November 2006, Prime Minister Erdogan seemed more concerned with developments regarding Kirkuk and the upcoming December 2007 referendum regarding its future status than...

... in the interest of poor Muslims and other impoverished groups. At the same time, although the Hanafi school allows for energy sources to be privately owned, they must be taxed by the state. The IS does not pay taxes on its energy resources. Similarly, according to the Maliki school, minerals...