A Drone Attack Raises the Stakes of Iraq’s Post-Election Standoff

A Drone Attack Raises the Stakes of Iraq’s Post-Election Standoff
Demonstrators protest the Oct. 10 parliamentary vote outside the heavily fortified Green Zone, Baghdad, Iraq, Oct. 31, 2021 (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed).

Editor’s note: This is the web version of our subscriber-only weekly newsletter, Middle East Memo, which takes a look at what’s happening, what’s being said and what’s on the horizon in the Middle East. Subscribe to receive it by email every Monday. If you’re already a subscriber, adjust your newsletter settings to receive it.

Iraq faces a deadly dilemma: make a deal with the militias that appear to be behind an assassination attempt on the life of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, or face off against them in a fight that is sure to leave the Iraqi state and people worse off.

Sunday morning’s drone attack on the prime minister’s private residence marked a major escalation in an already tense and volatile post-election standoff. The militias—who were the biggest losers of October’s legislative elections—have disputed the legitimacy of the poll and deployed their followers to stage round-the-clock sit-ins at entrances to the Green Zone, the seat of Iraq’s government. Meanwhile, the elections’ main winners, including Moqtada al-Sadr’s movement, have announced they will try to form a government in which they actually call the shots, upsetting the usual practice of distributing Cabinet positions evenly among winners and losers. 

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article as well as three free articles per month. You'll also receive our free email newsletter to stay up to date on all our coverage:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having your own personal researcher and analyst for news and events around the globe. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of 15,000+ articles
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday
  • Weekly in-depth reports on important issues and countries
  • Daily links to must-read news, analysis, and opinion from top sources around the globe, curated by our keen-eyed team of editors
  • Your choice of weekly region-specific newsletters, delivered to your inbox.
  • Smartphone- and tablet-friendly website.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review