Maliki crackdown may herald return to authoritarian rule
(NEWSER) - As the US prepares to depart Iraq, some in the West see worrying signs that the country may be sliding back toward authoritarian rule. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who met with President Obama in Washington yesterday, has been moving swiftly to consolidate power as the Americans head for the door. Western companies have been evicted from the Green Zone and hundreds of former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party have been arrested in recent raids, raising fears that Maliki plans to crush political foes in the name of national security. More»
