"In the few weeks since the US pullout, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has attempted to arrest his Vice President, ousted his Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, arrested over a thousand top political rivals on charges of “terrorism” and seen both the Sunni Arab and Kurdish blocs withdraw from his government."

Sectarian rivalry and violence in Iraq doesn't appear to be getting any better. This is a real wild card that could rearrange everything in a heartbeat. -- MCR

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