Iraqi Kurds unhappy partners in Abadi's government

The Kurdish position in internal Iraqi politics has been weakened by the fight with the Islamic State, resulting in a new Iraqi government that largely ignores their demands.
Iraq's new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (L) and Iraqi President Fouad Massoum speak during the session to approve the new government in Baghdad, September 8, 2014. Iraq's parliament approved a new government headed by Haider al-Abadi as prime minister on Monday night, in a bid to rescue Iraq from collapse, with sectarianism and Arab-Kurdish tensions on the rise. REUTERS/Hadi Mizban/Pool (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR45G2Z
Iraq's new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (L) and Iraqi President Fouad Massoum speak during the session to approve the new government in Baghdad, Sept. 8, 2014. - REUTERS/Hadi Mizban
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Mohammed A. Salih
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ERBIL, Iraq — Iraqi Kurds appear to have decided to participate in Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s government as a result of strong international pressure and amid the serious challenges they face from the Islamic State (IS).

Nearly a month of negotiations between Kurdish delegations and Abadi produced no concrete agreement between the two sides. After a backlash in the ranks of the Shiite-dominated Iraqi National Alliance against former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Abadi managed to secure the support of the majority of the parliament members in the alliance on Aug. 11 and was assigned on the same day by President Fouad Massoum, a Kurd, to form a cabinet within a month.

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