Brent Scowcroft Center Nonresident Senior Fellow James Joyner writes in the Hill on the US role in pushing out Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki:
The Hill has an article titled “Obama seeks Iraq regime change.” The Daily Beast has a similar article titled, “Exclusive: Inside Obama’s Push for Regime Change in Iraq.” Other outlets are using similar language. But the headlines are belied by the stories they herald.
Essentially, the United States government has grown frustrated with the incompetence of long-time Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and has been quietly pushing for the constitutional president to appoint a replacement under the procedures outlined in said constitution. That has now happened and Maliki is threatening to resist, going so far as to organize armed militias. Obama and company are sending strong signals that this will not be tolerated.