Another hot summer in prospect for Iraq

Protests could return this summer, against a background of political fragmentation

Improving electricity supply will be key to the legitimacy of Iraq's new government and to avoiding protests similar to those which roiled the country last summer. But the prospects do not look good. Iraq's prime minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi — touted as a harbinger of reform — remains weak (a hostage of inter-Shia political competition); public services in oil-rich Basra remain sub-par and current momentum for a referendum on creating a new federal region is gaining pace. And, despite Iraq's parliament passing a record budget this year, funds allocated for investment remain low — a reflection of the drag created by the country's public wage bill. The scale of the challenge The summer 2018 prote