The Associated Press quotes Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Fellow Ramzy Mardini on the challenges facing new Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi:
“Al-Abadi will have a hard time achieving anything because he’ll likely be forced to play defense most of the time,” said Ramzy Mardini, an Iraq expert with the Atlantic Council. “Another challenge will be how to form a new security architecture that includes demobilizing Shiite militias, integrating Sunnis back into the security sector and figuring out what kind of sectarian balance and role they will play within the security forces.”