Baghdad’s Green Zone Breach Exposes Iraq's Growing Political Paralysis
The hundreds of protesters who pulled down blast walls and forced their way into Baghdad’s Green Zone on Saturday laid bare growing political chaos that increasingly poses a threat to the country’s security and the economy. Here is what you need to know about the first major breach of the country’s fortified administrative heart.
What does it mean for the political process?
Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s supporters led the breach, demanding more efforts to fight corruption and to protest what they regard as sectarianism in the selection of government ministers. The unrest heaps more pressure on Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi to break a political stalemate that’s preventing him from appointing a government of technocrats to steer the fight against Islamic State and revive the economy. Abadi’s push has been blocked by parties seeking to preserve the country’s traditional system of patronage.
“This isn’t necessarily al-Sadr positioning himself against Abadi, they are both looking for the same sort of process,” Stephen Royle, a Middle East analyst at Control Risks, said in a phone interview from Baghdad. “In a strange sort of way, it works in favor of Abadi to use Moqtada al-Sadr and public support to push through with these reforms.”
What does it mean for the war on Islamic State?
The government’s failure to secure the country’s administrative center poses questions about its ability to battle Islamic State. The militant group captured Mosul -- Iraq’s biggest northern city and the largest under IS’s control outside Syria -- almost two years ago, and the longer the political crisis drags on in Baghdad, the harder it becomes to dislodge them.
What does it mean for the economy?
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-01/green-zone-breach-exposes-iraq-s-growing-political-paralysis