There is a lot of wishful thinking going on both in Iraq and outside of Iraq about the graceful exit of Prime Minister Maliki from power. And this is understandable. People want to be hopeful about Iraq's future. The decision by Maliki to step down peacefully is a good news story.
But Maliki's absence from Iraqi politics won't change much.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar will continue to support ISIS and fund terrorism against Baghdad.
The US, Turkey, Israel, NATO, and Jordan will continue to train ISIS terrorists in secret camps and send them to Syria, where they can then cross into Iraq and persecute minorities.
Iran will continue to support extremist Shiite militias and hold influence over decision makers in Baghdad.
The Shiite political elite will continue to wage economic war against the KRG in the north, and use the threat of lawsuits to dissuade countries from buying Kurdish oil.
The Sunni tribes and a good majority of the population in Western Iraq will continue their support for the Islamic State because they refuse to accept a subservient role in Baghdad's political life.
So, replacing Maliki changes nothing.
It's still good that he left because eight years in power is enough for any politician in any country. But Iraq's problems are bigger than one man. Scapegoating Maliki makes for a good narrative, with a happy ending, but just like the death of Bin Laden was not the end of Al-Qaeda, the resignation of Maliki won't mark the end of Iraq's collapse and disintegration.
Iraqi PM Al-Maliki: Saudi Arabia and Qatar Declared War of Terrorism against Iraq. Source: MEMRI TV. Date Published: March 12, 2014.
