Walid Fars, a US congressional advisor, criticized US policies in Iraq adding the method used by the US to depart Iraq was not successful because they left the country in the hands of a government that is very close to the Iranian regime. As a result, political sides close to the US, meaning Sunni moderates, have been abandoned inside a triangle.
Former US national security advisor Brent Scowcroft said Maliki himself is part of the problem in Iraq. He is seeking to strengthen his power, not solve the Sunni-Shiite problem. Maliki himself is the element behind provoking the sectarian violence, he added.
On the other hand, former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton said people around the Sunni areas of Iraq see Maliki is implementing Iran’s demands, associating terrorists like al-Qaeda and other extremists to the Sunni population. Therefore, they will gain nothing from this government, he added.