Will Iraq fall apart as political problems continue?

With Islamic State in control of large swathes of territory, Kurdish Iraq pushing autonomy and Basra itching for more money, Baghdad is losing control of its country – and its oil sector

The leaden winter sky over the Jordanian capital delivering squalls of sleet and snow offered a metaphor for a region sunk in gloom. The mounting horrors of the conflict across the border in Syria, not to mention the strain of coping with a million refugees from the country’s war-torn neighbour, casts a dark shadow on the brightest of days. But another regional conflict, in Iraq, is contributing to Jordan’s sense of unease.  The fate of Iraq matters hugely to Jordan. The two countries were linked in the 1950s by Hashemite monarchies. In later years, when Iraq’s access to the sea at Basra in the northern Gulf was blocked by the war with Iran, a mutually advantageous political and economic rel