Iraq’s parliament approved a new unity government that includes Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds.  Now, all new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has to do is to rescue his increasingly fractious nation from utter collapse from the sectarian strife caused by Islamic State’s (IS) gains in the north.

Abadi vowed to “allow all people in Iraq to participate in liberating the cities and provinces which have been taken over by terrorist groups”, and to “bring back security and stability.”

Like his incredibly unpopular predecessor Nousi al-Maliki, Haidar Al-Abadi is a Shiite.  Unlike al-Maliki, Haidar al-Abadi has welcomed two deputy Prime Ministers from traditionally rival groups: Saleh al-Mutlak and Hoshyar Zebari, Sunni and Kurdish respectively. 

Haidar al-Abadi promises to fill the posts of interior and defense minister within a week.  According to the Iraqi constitution, the PM has to pick his cabinet within 30 days after his official nomination as prime minister, which happened on 11 August.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry hailed the formation of a new Iraqi government.  Kerry is currently heading to the Middle East to recruit Arab nations into President Barack Obama’s coalition against Islamic State, a task easier said than done because of each nation looking out for its own best interests. 

The Gulf States are large Sunni, and while it behooves them to get rid of IS, there are concerns that knocking out IS would benefit the Shiite camp led by Iran.  Sunni nations also have “deep differences between the different components, and each party will try its best to highlight and secure its own interests and ensure that the outcome of this campaign won’t benefit their opponents”, according to Oraib Rintawi, head of the Amman-based Al Quds Centre for Political Studies.