U.S. Foreign Policy and Iraq

Nuri Kamal al‑Maliki, nominated by Iraq’s largest Shiite bloc to return as prime minister, publicly vowed Wednesday to continue pursuing the post and denounced President Donald Trump’s threat to cut off U.S. support if his nomination proceeds as “blatant American interference” and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. Trump wrote Tuesday on social media that Maliki’s last term plunged Iraq into “poverty and total chaos” and warned that, if he is elected, the United States “will no longer help Iraq,” asserting the country would then have “ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom.” Maliki, who first rose to power in 2006 with U.S. backing but later aligned more closely with Iran and was widely blamed for sectarian policies that helped fuel the rise of ISIS, now has backing from several smaller parties inside the Coordination Framework bloc, which is meeting to decide whether to stick with his nomination. Iraq’s caretaker government has so far stayed silent, while a former senior U.S. Iraq policymaker quoted in the piece notes it is unsurprising Washington would oppose a third Maliki term but more notable that it did not act earlier in the government‑formation process. The standoff highlights how Trump’s bid to curb Iranian influence is colliding with Iraq’s internal politics and raises questions about whether the U.S. is prepared to follow through on a threat that could upend its long‑standing security and counter‑ISIS role there.