Iraq: A Political Landscape Without Talabani?

With Iraq finally stabilizing and the United States eager to shift its military focus to Afghanistan, the last thing the U.S. effort needs is a destabilized Iraqi Kurdistan. That could happen when Iraqi President Jalal Talabani’s term expires later this year. Talabani, also leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, announced March 15 that he would retire from politics after his term as Iraqi president ends. Potential successors lack the Kurdish leader’s political gravitas, and his regional rival is a divisive firebrand likely to make matters worse with Iraq's neighbors and the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad.