Surge in Iraq violence exposes constitutional crisis

May was the most lethal month in Iraq since 2008, with estimates of those killed in violence ranging from 600 to more than 1,000. The United Nations, whose own toll for May was 1,045 killed and 2,397 wounded, has warned “systemic violence is ready to explode at any moment”: once again, Iraq seems to be on a precipice. The danger of Iraq tipping into all-out conflict is greatly exacerbated by its recurrent political crises, which are a symptom of its underlying constitutional weakness.