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Iraq Nominates Shia Leader to Replace Nouri al-Maliki
Iraq's political crisis heightened on Monday
after the country's new president nominated Haidar al-Abadi, a member
of the former premier's Shia-dominated party, to replace Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister (FT). Al-Maliki, whom Washington helped install after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, refused to concede power (Reuters) after deploying militias and special forces in the streets of Baghdad. The White House endorsed the nomination (AP), with Secretary of State John Kerry urging the prime minister-designate on Tuesday to form an inclusive government and offering U.S. aid (NYT) to fight the ISIS insurgency.
Analysis
"Now
as Mr. Maliki reaches a moment of truth, either stepping down or trying
to preserve power, Mr. Obama and the American government are trying to
maneuver the Iraqi leader one last time in hopes of replacing him with a more reliable figure who can pull that fractious country together and work more collaboratively with Washington," writes Peter Baker for the New York Times.
"What
will the president do if we no longer have Maliki to kick around? That
will be the moment of truth. Will we stick to a minimalist containment
strategy designed to prevent ISIS from taking Erbil and murdering the
Yazidis? Or will we implement a much more ambitious strategy to enable
the defeat of ISIS? I believe the U.S. must opt for the latter option," writes CFR's Max Boot for Commentary.
"Washington cannot ignore Isis, a growing global threat that could pose greater risks
to America than al-Qaida did in its heyday. But if Obama really wants
to pass the fight against Isis on to local forces, he will have to
bolster— not just tacitly support— the Kurdish peshmerga," writes Cale
Salih for the Guardian. | 
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