Episode Notes:

Iraq has suffered a week of violence, where mass protests have clashed with Iraqi police and even the Iraqi Army, so far leaving much more than 100 civilians dead and thousands wounded.

Douglas Ollivant, Senior Fellow at New America, former Director for Iraq at the National Security Council, and Managing Partner at Mantid International, joins the WarCast to discuss what has caused the protests, the government's violent crackdown, and the challenges facing the government to resolve the problem.

[ 0:17 ] Introduction
[ 1:07 ] Overview of the situation: Not an ethnonational conflict
[ 2:10 ] Trigger for the protests
[ 3:49 ] Structural pressures on the government
[ 5:10 ] Diffusing violence
[ 6:52 ] Silence from the international community
[ 7:35 ] Challenges to the government to resolve the problem

Follow on Twitter: @DouglasOllivant

Disclaimer: Mantid International has operations in Iraq.