archive

In the wake of large-scale popular demonstrations in Iraq, demands for the resignation of its prime minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi, have increased. Among the most vocal voices demanding his resignation has been the unpredictable cleric Muqtada al Sadr. Sadr, who has tried to model himself as the defender of Iraqi nationalism and the champion of a clean government, even claimed that

The recent wave of protests in Iraq has been geographically concentrated in Shia regions, not yet spreading in any substantial way to Sunni or Kurdish provinces. But this is not a Shia revolt, and any attempt to impose a sectarian framing on it fails to understand the underlying drivers. Shia symbols have not occupied a central place in the demonstrators’ slogans, and Shia c

In Washington, some believe that despite the protests in Iraq that began in early October and continue apace, the current Iraqi government should be supported and given help as it responds to the just demands of the protesters. The reasons given range from: “What is the alternative? The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t” to “This is the constitutionally elected