This episode examines the ongoing political deadlock in Iraq's government formation process following President Trump's controversial social media post opposing Nouri Al-Maliki's nomination for prime minister. The hosts analyze the impasse within the Coordination Framework, Sudani's prospects for a second term, U.S. and regional interference, Kurdish negotiations over the presidency, and the economic challenges facing Iraq including controversial customs reforms prior to Ramadan.

This episode examines the dramatic developments in Iraq's government formation process following President Trump's Truth Social post threatening to withdraw U.S. support if Nouri al-Maliki is chosen to be prime minister. We analyze the Coordination Framework's internal divisions, explore alternatives to Maliki, and discuss the ongoing delays in electing Iraq's president. The conversation also addresses broader questions about Iraqi sovereignty, foreign intervention, and the future of Iraq's parliamentary system.

We explore how the ongoing government formation process sheds light on the underlying elite bargains that shape Iraq’s political system. We examine how power-sharing arrangements are negotiated and contested, what these dynamics reveal about the informal rules governing politics in Iraq, where elite consensus holds, where it begins to fracture, and what this suggests about the trajectory of governance and stability in the country.