Iraq's new PM Mustafa Kadhemi: former spy chief with friends on all sides

Iraq's new prime minister Mustafa Kadhemi is a pragmatic operator and former spy chief whose ties to Washington and Tehran could help steer Baghdad through a laundry list of crises. He formally took the reins early Thursday after Iraq's parliament granted his cabinet a vote of confidence, capping weeks of horse-trading over ministerial positions. Kadhemi, who headed Iraq's National Intelligence Service (INIS), was nominated on April 9 by President Barham Saleh in a ceremony attended by a who's-who of the political elite, indicating broad support for the enigmatic figure. Born in Baghdad in 1967, Kadhemi studied law in Iraq but then left for Europe to escape repressive ex-dictator, Saddam...