Fears of a collapse in Iraq are mounting as anger grows in the center and south of the country against the ruling class, Iranian influence and a stand-off between non-retreating protesters and the political elite.
It said post-Saddam Iraq, created by the United States, was at risk of collapse after 16 years of a US-led invasion in 2003.
Toby Dodge, a longtime researcher in Iraqi affairs, said the post-invasion regime, which was marked by corruption in the Iraqi state as well as sectarianism and coercion, began to collapse.
The decline of ideological foundations
Dodge told the Guardian that the ideological foundations of the Iraqi regime - dividing society along sectarian lines - have receded, while the division of the spoils among the ruling elites has continued to become increasingly public and clear, further weakening the regime's legitimacy.
Dodge added that the Iraqi people stopped viewing members of the political elite as heroes who contributed to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime and began to see them as beneficiaries.So this elite had to rely on the violence of militias to suppress the popular line up against it, and this repression is now at its peak.
The British newspaper reported that the current Iraqi movement caused bloody hostility by the citizens of southern and central Iraq, specifically against Iran and against what they called the proxies of Iran.
It quoted an informed regional official as saying that tribal leaders in the province of Dhi Qar demanded accountability of security forces and militia leaders responsible for the killing of protesters in Nasiriyah, describing this position as adding another complication in the clashes, which are considered the most dangerous.
The Iraqi parliament will begin the process of choosing a new prime minister to succeed the outgoing Adel Abdul Mahdi, the paper said, adding that the new prime minister would have to deal with severe unrest spreading across the country.
She said the candidates for the post: Commander of the Popular Mobilization Units Hadi al-Ameri, who became the strongest institutions in Iraq after the defeat of ISIS in the north, adding that the nomination of Ameri will attract strong critics.
She added that the Iraqi parliament has 15 days to choose a new prime minister, but the experiences of the past showed that this task can not be accomplished several months ago, and that failure to reach a consensus among the various forces to choose the incumbent may plunge the country into the abyss.