By: Brandon Wallace and Katherine Lawlor
Key Takeaway: The government of Iraq remains beset by competing domestic and
international forces, a political conflict that threatens to further
destabilize the Iraqi state. Iraq’s highest
Shi’a religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani likely worked with caretaker
Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mehdi to remove key militias loyal to Sistani from
the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The order places these militias under
the direct command of the Office of the Prime Minister, a move which will be
viewed by Iraqis as a vote of no confidence by Sistani in the remaining Iran-backed
PMF factions and leadership. Simultaneously, Iraq’s Shi’a political blocs, led
by the Iran-backed Conquest Alliance, are frustrating Prime Minister-designate
Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s attempts to form a cabinet, calling into question whether
Kadhimi will be able to overcome the partisan and ethno-sectarian deadlock to
form a government. Additionally, Iran-backed parties are taking steps to weaken
opposing ethno-sectarian groups by claiming some cabinet positions for Shi’a
blocs rather than for their usual Kurdish occupants.
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