From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

In Iraq, disunity on all fronts.

I'm Barbara Bogave sitting in for Warren Only, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International,

a daily look at the issues Americans care about most. The Iraqi parliament met today to begin selecting a new unity government. Within

minutes, enough members walked out that they had to call it quits. Outside of Baghdad, the Sunni

militant group, ISIS, has declared a swath of territory across borders as its own Islamic state,

but even they face unity challenges.

Can Russian jets, Iranian generals, and hundreds of U.S. military advisors shore up Iraq's vulnerable

leader? Is the threat level high enough to force the Obama administration to re-engage in a war

it had declared over? On today's talking point, death threats, audits, and the rise of Paul of Blackwater.

First, the news. Listen to KCRW's 24-hour all-news channel, stream BBC World Service, NPR and KCRW programs,

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Support for To The Point comes from the members of KCRW and from the Public Radio International Program Fund.

We're back with To the Point. I'm Barbara Bogave in for Warren Olney.

Just ahead, as the Iraqi parliament crumbles on its first day, the Sunni insurgent group ISIS continues to establish its hold on territory in Iraq and Syria by declaring its own sovereign state across their borders.

And the U.S. has just committed hundreds more troops on the ground.

Is the U.S. returning to an Iraq even closer to splintering?

Or can the U.S. and Russian fighter jets help turn the tide of this war?

Later on today's talking point, much has been made of the decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq

in the first place. One of the reasons was the death of 17 Iraqis shot by Blackwater Security

Guards in 2007. Now new details suggest the contractor was out of control and threatening government auditors.

We'll hear about that.

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