Relations among major political factions have worsened substantially since late 2011, threatening Iraq's stability and the perception of the achievements of the long U.S. intervention in Iraq. Sunni Arabs, always fearful that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki would seek unchallenged power for Shiite factions, accused him of an outright power grab as he seeks to purge the highest-ranking Sunni Arabs from government and to cripple attempts by Sunni-inhabited provinces to achieve greater autonomy. Iraq's Kurds have also become increasingly distrustful of Maliki over territorial, political, and economic issues, and similarly accused him of authoritarian practices. More recently, the Shiite faction of Moqtada Al Sadr joined the other groups to put pressure on Maliki to share power. This book examines the politics, governance and human rights challenges of Iraq under Nuri al-Maliki.