The coalition that underpins Iraq’s national unity government is showing increasing signs of strain, threatened by rising divisions among its parties, tension between the parliament and the executive, and competition between the central and regional governments.

Popular protests have spread across the Middle East and North Africa and have reached Iraq and Kurdistan. The political circumstances in these regions will determine whether the protests succeed in forcing the government to respond to the demands of its citizens.

After years of insecurity, instability, unemployment, and increasing corruption across the political spectrum, Iraqis are turning to democratic protest to make their voices heard.

Moqtada al-Sadr’s decision to support Nouri al-Maliki’s quest for a second term as Iraqi prime minister has given new impetus to negotiations over the formation of a new government but it has not solved any of the underlying obstacles preventing the creation of a politically viable government.