IntelBrief: Political Instability Continues to Plague Iraq as Power Brokers Clash

Bottom Line up Front

• Iraqi leaders are struggling to form a new government five months after national elections.
• Despite holding a commanding bloc of parliament seats, supporters of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have not installed their preferred candidate as Iraq’s ceremonial president.
• Both Iran and the United States seek to influence Iraqi leaders to form a new government favorable to their interests.
• A new report by the U.S. Defense Department asserts that Iraq’s government is unwilling or unable to exert effective control over numerous Iran-backed militia forces.