Blowing a hole in the political landscape

摘要

Like a hormonal teenager, Iraqi politics evolves in spurts. Just take these past weeks. The insurgency has revived, culminating in a series of audacious and bloody attacks in the heart of Baghdad. And that has turned the fortunes of the prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, on their head. From being a shoo-in at the next election, the man who was supposed to have tamed the terrorists is now looking more like a has-been. Rivals are lining up to take him on and old alliances are unravelling. All that Iraqis know for sure is that they have reached another turning-point in their turbulent post-invasion history.