How Bad Could It Get? 5 Worst-Case Scenarios in Iraq

After a swift and bloody push, radical fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant are now less than 40 miles from Baghdad, where scared residents have begun stockpiling gasoline, water and food in preparation for what they fear could be cataclysmic violence.

How serious are these developments for the future of the Middle East? Here are five worst-case — but not unlikely — scenarios:

The central government falls as the capital explodes in a sectarian bloodbath

Baghdad is a patchwork of sectarian and mixed neighborhoods, and weapons proliferate. Shiite militias — some supported by Iran — are already arming and organizing in places including Sadr City, the vast Shiite slum on the outskirts of Baghdad Read more...