Moqtada Sadr, the disconnector

ìProtests Unleashed by Cleric Mark a New Front in War,î by Anthony Shadid and Sewell Chan, Washington Post, 5 April, p. A1.

What this article tells me about Moqtada Sadr and his designs on superceding Ayatollah Sistani as THE religious leader of Iraqís Shiites is that, in our meandering effort to settle down Iraq during this occupation and demonstrate clearly to the populace that we can move the society not only towards greater connectivity with the outside world (which is happening in leaps and bounds) but can help put in place a reasonably fair and stable system of governance, we may have lost the golden moment before in-fighting and power struggles erupted from within. Sadr clearly sees his chance to grab the brass ring, and now he can paint Sistani as the old man who hasnít demanded enough from the Americans so that his call for intifada is the only pathway that makes sense.

Sadrís militia and associated movement want an Iraq where the clergy play a far greater role in politics and social affairs, whereas Sistani wants a more moderate role for religious authoritiesóeffectively ceding political affairs to secular authorities. Guess which vision speaks to an Iraq whichóten years from nowóis more connected to the outside world?