Iraq's Divide at the Top

Iraq's national unity government is the cornerstone of the U.S. exit strategy. But the week's events only highlight that national unity is its name, not its nature.

That Iraq is spinning dangerously out of control is no longer a matter of debate; the question has become how to stabilize it and limit the damage. The bipartisan Iraq Study Group, headed up by former Secretary of State James Baker, is supposed to offer up some answers next month when it presents its much-anticipated report. But the events of the past week underscore how difficult even damage-control in Iraq has become.