MESOP – Tracking of Iraq’s 2016 Political Crisis

By Patrick Martin and the ISW Research Team –  Key Take-Away: Iraq faces a major political crisis that threatens to collapse the current government and exacerbate political unrest. Political stability in Iraq is critical to the ability of the U.S. to continue anti-ISIS operations, not only to defeat ISIS but also to prevent its reconstitution. This page provides a comprehensive collection of ISW reporting and analysis of this political crisis, which ISW has covered since it began. As the crisis continues, ISW’s analysis and reporting will continue. This page will be updated accordingly with the most recent posts appearing at the top. This collection was most recently updated today at 1:30pm EST to reflect the Sadrists’ storming of the Green Zone.

Our reporting has been both targeted at the crisis itself, as well as embedded in broader analysis of actions on the ground in our Iraq Situation Reports. For example, we show the different Constitutional methods to bring about a no-confidence vote against the Prime Minister, to dismiss the President, to remove the Council of Representatives Speaker, and to even dissolve the CoR itself.  In addition, we have tracked on a timeline nearly 70 political meetings spanning 7 weeks as the various actors sought to upend or maintain the status quo. A recurring theme throughout this building crisis has been the effect it could have on the anti-ISIS campaign. Our analysis covers these topics and more, spanning nearly three months.  Read them all here.  Read all : http://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/isw-tracking-iraq%E2%80%99s-2016-political-crisis?utm_source=ISW+Tracking+of+Iraq%27s+2016+Political+Crisis&utm_campaign=ISW+Tracking+of+Iraq%27s+2016+Political+Crisis&utm_medium=email