Could Hashemi garner enough political clout to become the next Iraqi president?
There will likely also be another looming battle for the office of the presidency. Although largely ceremonial, the position is powerfully symbolic and in Iraq’s continuing politically unstable condition, could carry far more weight and influence than designed by the constitution. Jalal Talabani, the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, has voiced his desire to step down from the presidency after the elections, but he nonetheless expects to be urged to hold on to the post. Tareq al-Hashemi, the Sunni vice-president may not play ball this time. Given his recent media-savvy press conferences, political gravitas, and no secret that he seeks the position, Hashemi could pose a serious challenged to the ailing Kurdish leader. This will be bad news not only for the Massoud Barzani, the Kurdish Regional Government president and long-term arch rival, but also for US strategists who would rather not see the relatively calm north engulfed in internal political strife again. In the 1990s, riv
