Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s apparent success in gaining a third term in office is a move that could escalate tensions with Sunni militant groups in the country but will have little effect on the country’s massive oil sector — provided al-Maliki handles Iraq’s Kurdish leaders carefully. The Iraqi electoral commission announced Monday that al-Maliki’s State of Law bloc had won the most seats in the April 30 parliamentary elections, falling short of a majority. This week Iraqi officials have struggled to confront how the country will move forward politically. While the country braces for what is expected to be a tumultuous future in forming a new government, experts say the country will most likely not suffer from investment shortfalls in the oil sector — its main source of revenue. Rather, it is the sector’s internal ability to increase capacity and technical expertise that will determine its fate, experts say. […]