Iraq close to ungovernable

ABC: In Baghdad roadside bombings are commonplace government troops are battling tribal fighters in the west there is even growing strife over oil revenues in the usually peaceful Kurdish-controlled north.

ABC News – Australia

By Chris Uhlmann

Eight thousand people died violently in Iraq in 2013 and with national elections scheduled for April… there are fears the country is spiralling out of control.

In Baghdad roadside bombings are commonplace government troops are battling tribal fighters in the west there is even growing strife over oil revenues in the usually peaceful Kurdish-controlled north.

Some of the recent trouble is a spillover from the fighting in Syria but Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran all stand accused of meddling in Iraq. Dr Denise Natali a Senior Research Fellow at the National Defense University in Washington DC explains the situation.