Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- July 2, 2014

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki walks to cast his ballot during parliamentary election in Baghdad April 30, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Ahmed Jadallah

Who Could Replace Iraq’s Maliki? -- Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is a premier in his labyrinth: he faces both the onslaught of Sunni extremist militants who have proclaimed their own Islamic State as well as a rancorous parliament, with many critics calling for his departure, blaming the crisis on the Shiite politician's heavy-handed rule.

There's a growing consensus that Maliki must go, though it is unclear when and under what circumstances. It's likely his successor will be someone from his political faction. Maliki came to power in similar fashion in 2006, plucked from relative obscurity to succeed then prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, who like now, was struggling to form a government in the midst of a bloody, horrifying insurgency. Here are some politicos being touted to replace Maliki.

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- July 2, 2014

Are We About to See Three New Nations Replace Iraq? -- John McLaughlin, OZY.com

There is no force that could stop ripping Iraq to shreds -- RT

The Caliphate Fantasy -- Khaled Diab, NYT

A dark ancient warning about a new caliphate -- Ian Morris, London Evening Standard

Whether the caliphate declared by Isis marks a genuine watershed or not, it cannot be ignored -- Independent editorial

King Crude: How Iraq's ISIS Crisis Restores Saudi Influence -- David Andrew Weinberg, Forbes

What Kurdish Independence Would Mean -- Lee Smith, The Tablet

Murder of Palestinian teen ratchets up tension in Jerusalem -- Christa Case Bryant, CSM

From Arab Spring to Arab Summer -- Juan Cole, Real Clear World/Tom Dispatch

War in South Sudan: The World's Youngest State Faces Failure -- Bartholomäus Grill in Juba (South Sudan), Spiegel Online

America's Ukraine-Policy Disaster -- James Carden, National Interest

Why the Fate of Ukraine Matters -- Thomas Friedman, Houston Chronicle/NYT

How Bulgaria fell victim to the tug of war over Ukraine -- Kit Gillet, CSM

From Prison to Jihad: Islamists Seek Supporters among German Inmates -- Lisa Schnell, Spiegel Online

A self-declared Iraqi 'caliph' wants to rule the world. Can he? -- Dan Murphy, CSM

Why trading water futures could be in our future -- Patti Domm, CNBC