N he was "shocked" by the president's comments. "There will be a day," he predicted, "whereby the Americans will realize that they were deceived by al-Maliki ... and they will regret that." A week later, the Iraqi government issued a warrant for Hashimi's arrest. Thirteen of his bodyguards were arrested

the absence of Sunni unity (with some tribes calling for a boycott of the elections), and the fragmentation of the Shia political landscape, Premier al-Maliki still seems to be the front-runner, particularly if elections are marked by low Sunni turnout. Israel/Palestine: Last-ditch efforts to hold togethe