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Analysis: Leaks, Summit Reveal Strains Over Iraq

Council on Foreign Relations

Updated: November 30, 2006
Prepared by: Lionel Beehner

President Bush met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Amman, Jordan, after a turbulent chain of events that began with the leaking of a memo by National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley questioning Maliki’s capacity to control sectarian violence in Iraq. The memo, along with revelations that Iraqi officials loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr suspended their participation in the prime minister's government, may have affected Maliki's decision to skip an earlier meeting (Reuters) with President Bush. The move by the Sadr bloc also indicates the Shiite cleric's anger over Maliki's meeting with Bush, as well as the power and influence Sadr continues to wield over the Iraqi prime minister. Maliki, however, in his press conference with Bush emphasized that "Mr. Sadr and the Sadrists are just one component that participate in the parliament or in the government." He also announced that Iraqi forces would be fully ready to take over security by June 2007 (USAToday), which could accelerate timelines for a U.S. withdrawal. Bush, despite the uneasiness in the air, reaffirmed his faith in the embattled Iraqi leader.

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Copyright 2006 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.