Six ministers tied to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr left the Iraqi Cabinet Monday, protesting Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. Two regional experts discuss the resignations and the impact on Iraqi politics.

Iraq's electoral commission awarded the Shiite alliance a slim majority of seats in the new National Assembly on Thursday, giving the party a powerful voice as the parliament takes up the issues of choosing new leaders and drafting a constitution.