Summary
Iraq is entering its 10th month of political deadlock following parliamentary elections that failed to produce a workable majority in October 2021 – the longest span without a functioning government in the country’s post-Saddam history. And as the politicians quibble in Baghdad, violent protests are now breaking out in and around the capital’s fortified ‘Green Zone.’ Overall, there’s a sense that the recent windfall in oil revenues has delayed a long-brewing social and political reckoning; however, no functioning government in Baghdad means no comprehensive reform package, and no hope of stabilizing the country over the longer-term.
