Trump’s Warning About the Possible Return of Nouri Al-Maliki Reflects a Hard Lesson Learned the Long Way
By LauraAboli
Trump’s warning about the possible return of Nouri al-Maliki reflects a hard lesson learned the long way.
Nouri al-Maliki’s years in power marked a decisive turning point for Iraq, and not in a good way. What began as a promise of post-Saddam stability gradually hardened into a system defined by centralisation and sectarian consolidation.
Under his leadership, corruption didn’t just persist, it became institutionalised. State ministries, security forces, and public contracts were increasingly captured by political loyalty rather than competence. This hollowed out governance from the inside, leaving Iraq with the appearance of a functioning state but without the trust, accountability, or effectiveness required to sustain it.
At the same time, sectarian tensions were deliberately exacerbated; Al-Maliki’s political survival strategy relied heavily on mobilising sectarian identity, sidelining Sunni political figures, marginalising entire communities, and framing opposition as existential threats. This deepened fractures across Iraqi society and created the conditions for long-term instability.
Perhaps most damaging was the empowerment of militias. Rather than strengthening a unified national army accountable to civilian authority, militias were armed, funded, and politically protected. These groups were presented as security solutions, but in reality, they evolved into parallel power structures, loyal to factional leaders rather than the state itself.
Al-Maliki’s tenure turned Iraq from a fragile post-war state into one structurally primed for perpetual crisis.
Original source: https://t.me/LauraAbolichannel/80431
