Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki arrives to vote at a polling station in Baghdad on Nov. 11, 2025, during Iraq’s parliamentary elections. (Credit: Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP)
Iraq has been without a government since last November’s parliamentary elections. Months of bargaining have failed to lead to a consensus on a prime minister, deepening political paralysis amid rising regional tensions.Yet, a familiar and highly divisive figure has returned to the spotlight. Last weekend, the Coordination Framework, the majority Shiite political bloc in Parliament, nominated former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to lead the government. Some context Comeback puts Maliki in Trump's crosshairs This nomination opens a new round of negotiations to form a government that will have to navigate Iraq’s increasingly precarious position between Washington and Tehran.Admired by some as a strongman who imposed order, reviled by others as one of the architects of sectarian polarization and institutional collapse, Maliki’s...
Iraq has been without a government since last November’s parliamentary elections. Months of bargaining have failed to lead to a consensus on a prime minister, deepening political paralysis amid rising regional tensions.Yet, a familiar and highly divisive figure has returned to the spotlight. Last weekend, the Coordination Framework, the majority Shiite political bloc in Parliament, nominated former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to lead the government. Some context Comeback puts Maliki in Trump's crosshairs This nomination opens a new round of negotiations to form a government that will have to navigate Iraq’s increasingly precarious position between Washington and Tehran.Admired by some as a strongman who imposed order, reviled by others as one of the architects of sectarian polarization and institutional collapse,...
