Violence between rival commanders and factions in the northern and western provinces in recent weeks has also exposed the tenuous control of the government over the regions and the fragile progress toward democracy and prosperity.
Certainly an open split with Shia forces in Iraq would greatly complicate the ongoing efforts against ISIS, and undermine the tenuous political progress recently made in Baghdad.
Without permanent structures, recent progress remains tenuous.
Three years later, however, progress is looking tenuous.
While political gains have been tenuous there has been much progress in lowering the level of violence, the report indicated.
And the economy's progress is so tenuous that the president seems wary of boasting about whatever he's done to improve it, for fear of seeming indifferent and out of touch.
The top American military commander in Iraq said Saturday that violent attacks in the country had fallen by 60percentt since June, but cautioned that security gains were "tenuous" and "fragile," requiring political and economic progress to cement them.
But the progress appeared modest and still tenuous, suggesting that even palpable improvement to the nation's fortunes may not yield vigorous economic expansion anytime soon.
The residency itself is a work in progress and a reflection of the tenuous relationship between museums and performance.
