The National quotes Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Richard LeBaron on President Obama’s decision to send 300 advisers to Iraq:
The White House has been considering a plan to push Mr Al Maliki from power before the formation of a new government, in an attempt to address simmering Sunni anger that has led to the current military crisis.
But removing Mr Al Maliki and helping to forge an inclusive power-sharing arrangement in the next ruling coalition would require compromise from Iraq’s dysfunctional political class as well as Iraq’s neighbours, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, and could prove difficult and drawn out.
“It’s not a simple task where you can just wave a magic wand and you have an inclusive government,” said Richard LeBaron, a former US ambasador to Kuwait and a fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank.
“I don’t know that Maliki is just going to go without a fight, [and if he does go] the Sunnis will not trust the new government. The bit of shared interest that there is could easily disappear as people begin to engage.”