After more than a year of political deadlock, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani could face a debilitating new crisis with Kurdish leaders that risks undermining his efforts to set policy and compile a badly needed state budget.
Sudani, whose government was approved in October, has vowed to reform the economy, fight corruption, improve deteriorating public services and combat poverty and unemployment -- tall orders in a country that has been craving stability and cash since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
