Haider al-Abadi

Iraqi supporters of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Sairun coalition celebrate after results of Iraq's parliamentary election were announced in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 14, 2018.

Populist cleric Sadr all but wins Iraq election

The populist Shi’ite cleric, a longtime adversary of the United States, was a surprise win for Iraq. The preliminary results were based on a count of more than 91 percent of the votes cast in 16 of Iraq’s 18 provinces.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud meets with former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 6, 2017.

The ‘Cold War’ between Iran and Saudi Arabia is heating up. Here are 5 things you should know about it.

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A view of part of western Mosul, Iraq, on May 29.

Were high civilian casualties in Mosul unavoidable?

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Iraqi Federal Police celebrate in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq on July 8, 2017.

Iraq’s prime minister declares victory against ISIS in ‘liberated’ Mosul

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Iraqi security forces inspect the site of three explosions in the New Baghdad neighborhood on September 10, 2014.

The sound of US airstrikes returns to Baghdad

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Iraq's Shi'ite militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq

Iraq has a new prime minister, but its powerful militias might not care

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Political tensions have calmed in Baghdad, but unrest in Iraq has given power — and weaponry — to the Shiite militias who stepped up to help fight ISIS. Now no one is sure if they’ll still listen to the Iraqi government or look after their own interests.

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Haider al-Abadi, who was nominated by Iraq's president to replace Nouri al-Maliki.

It might take a miracle to get Iraq back on track

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Sectarian discord in Iraq is mounting, and new prime minister Haider al-Abadi must convince Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds to keep working together in a united Iraq. He’s Iraq’s best hope, but even a change in leadership may not be enough.

A Kurdish resident holds a signs during a demonstration in support of peshmerga troops in front of the US consulate in Erbil, Iraq.

War, politics and humanitarian disasters give Iraq a perfect storm of crises

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Iraq has a new problem on its hands: A political showdown between current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his would-be successor. And the wrangling and potential violence are taking place against a backdrop of a massive humanitarian crisis and American intervention in northern Iraq.

A Kurdish resident holds a signs during a demonstration in support of peshmerga troops in front of the US consulate in Erbil, Iraq.

War, politics and humanitarian disasters give Iraq a perfect storm of crises

Conflict

Iraq has a new problem on its hands: A political showdown between current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his would-be successor. And the wrangling and potential violence are taking place against a backdrop of a massive humanitarian crisis and American intervention in northern Iraq.