BBC: “UN special envoy to Iraq Nickolay Mladenov has said the Iraqi government risks plunging the country into chaos if it’s unable quickly to elect a new prime minister, president and speaker of the parliament. The government couldn’t agree to those positions in its first session. Mr. Laith Kuba was the spokesman of the Iraqi government in 2006 and is now at the National Endowment for Democracy. Is this description of potential chaos? Is that accurate in your mind?”

Iraq analyst Laith Kuba: “Unfortunately, it is and it reflects the realities that are happening in Iraq where there are effectively now like three governments: one in the north, one in Baghdad and one in Mosul. There are three armies, there is land grapping, and unfortunately the political process spiraling down while politicians are locked down in technical procedures on how to make the next step.”

BBC: “How do they get to that next step? Hoshiyar Zebari, a Kurd himself, saying there must, must, must be an apology. Surely, that’s highly unlikely.”

 Laith Kuba: “Well there is a lot between politicians and different political groups. But there reality is Iraq had an election and technically speaking, purely on procedural constitutional matters, once there is a first session of parliament in place they agree a president and a speaker of parliament. Then they need to move to a appointing a prime minister, and everybody I think knows that Maliki cannot be a prime minister. He has not been part of the problem, actually he has become the problem in this political gridlock. So the next step is specifically for the Shiite political forces….”