Iraq's former prime minister says the United States is ignoring an "emerging dictatorship" in his country, telling The Washington Times that Iran is "swallowing" Iraq and dictating its strategic policies.
A wave of 16 bombings ripped across Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 69 people in the worst violence in Iraq for months.
Iraqi Kurds are committed to preserving their country's borders despite their longtime yearning for an independent state, a leader of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region told The Washington Times.
The Iraqi parliament on Tuesday unanimously approved a new government headed by Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who apparently has appeased the Sunni-backed bloc that bested his own party in the country's March elections.
Parliament swore in a new Iraqi government Tuesday after nine months of bitter political haggling, solidifying the grip that Shi'ites have held on political power since Saddam Hussein's ouster while leaving open the question of whether the country's disgruntled Sunni minority will play a meaningful role.
Iran continues to dominate WikiLeaks disclosures, with new releases from Baghdad and Beirut showing concerns about Iranian meddling in Iraqi politics as well as the establishment of a nationwide fiber-optic network by its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani formally renominated Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to his post Thursday, giving him 30 days to assemble a government.
Iraq's president gave Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki the nod to form the next government Thursday after an eight-month deadlock, but a dramatic walkout from Parliament by his Sunni rivals cast doubt on a power-sharing deal reached by the two sides less than a day earlier.
Four deadly explosions rocked Iraq Monday as political leaders hustled to seal a power-sharing agreement in time for the convening of the country's Parliament.
