In Face of Insurgency, Political Process Collapses in Iraq

The situation in Iraq inched closer to chaos on Tuesday, as a parliamentary session to name new leaders collapsed when Sunni and Kurdish politicians walked out.

The Council of Representatives was due to elect a speaker, but when Kurdish and Sunni Arab members of parliament did not return after a break, there were not enough people present to hold a vote. Acting Speaker Mahdi al-Hafez said parliament would reconvene in a week.

This bodes poorly for any effort to create a unified front in the face of the jihadist-led rebellion in the north and west; on Sunday the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) declared the establishment of a caliphate covering the land it holds in Iraq and Syria.