In the two years following the withdrawal of US troops, then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, like Diem four decades earlier, set about consolidating political power through patronage. Al-Maliki sought to protect the interests of Iraq’s Shia at the expense of its Sunni citizens, appointing military leaders based on their tribal and sectarian affiliations rather than their merit.
今天的伊拉克也表现出同样的局面。因宗派主义而分裂的伊拉克武装部队已无力也不愿战斗。在美军撤出后的两年里，时任总理马利基和四十年前的吴庭艳一样，通过裙带主义巩固政治权力。马利基不惜牺牲逊尼派公民保护什叶派的利益，根据部落和宗派背景而不是能力任命军官。