A parliament session was to take place on Tuesday to elect a president after which the president would appoint the prime minister. As the security crisis worsened, the cracks in Iraq’s political and institutions became increasingly apparent. Yet Maliki does face significant challenges as prime minister, even if the U.S. president had stayed quiet. President Trump and his advisors may have fallen into that trap. In attempting to force Iraq to move forward, Trump may push Iraq back into the hands of Nouri Al-Maliki.