Protests in Iraq are met with violence

IF IT WERE not for the flags being waved, it would be difficult to tell the difference between the protests in Lebanon and those in Iraq. In Baghdad, as in Beirut, masses of people have taken to the streets, angry over corruption, poor governance and a lack of jobs. Thousands have also come out in cities such as Basra and Karbala in Iraq’s Shia south, the government’s heartland. But unlike in Lebanon (so far), the protests in Iraq have been met with extreme violence. At least 250 people have been killed by the authorities and their allied militias since the turmoil began on October 1st.

It looks as if Adel Abdul-Mahdi, Iraq’s prime minister, may suffer the same fate as his Lebanese counterpart, Saad Hariri, who stepped down on October 29th. Mr Abdul-Mahdi came to power after elections last year produced a political deadlock. He was the compromise candidate of Muqtada al-Sadr, a firebrand cleric who leads parliament’s largest bloc, and Hadi al-Amiri, who heads an alliance of Iranian-backed Shia militias. But Mr Sadr has now abandoned him and Mr Amiri is wavering.