-
In Defense of Mark Sanford
May 2, 2013 | 142 comments
-
Rand’s Real Reachout
April 11, 2013 | 83 comments
-
Drone Coming
July 10, 2012 | 45 comments
-
Syria Post-Libya
June 6, 2012 | 49 comments
-
Cyber-Cataclysm Prevention
March 28, 2012 | 11 comments
Special Report
An Iraqi Time Bomb
Muqtada al-Sadr is back.
“Thank you, my dearest, and may Allah preserve you and watch over you…”
With these words, Muqtada al-Sadr thanked an unidentified supporter who posted on the radical cleric’s website intentions to be martyred in the name of Islam, ideology and Iraq. “The infidel occupier,” is officially on notice that the current deferment of Sadr’s Mehdi Army is subject to America’s presence on the ground, and the firebrand’s personal caprice.
Over the years, Muqtada al-Sadr’s private paramilitary, the Mehdi Army, has posed the greatest threat to Iraqi security since two 500 lb. bombs ended Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s reign of terror at the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq. In the opinion of the Pentagon, the Mehdi Army remains the country’s “most dangerous accelerant of potentially self-sustaining sectarian violence.”
The “army” is the product of Sadr’s personal charisma, and the work of his late father, Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, who was assassinated by Saddam Hussein after developing the most dynamic human infrastructure network amidst Iraq’s disenfranchised Shi’a majority. Initially conceived in response to the US-led invasion, a few thousand embittered, if inadequately armed, young men quickly swelled ranks to some 60,000 radicals, trained and armed with Iranian support. Ferocious street battles witnessed in 2004 and 2008 confirmed that the Mehdi Army had access to rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns and the ubiquitous Kalashnikov assault rifle. Although foreign fighters operating under the banner of al-Qaeda in Iraq drew most of the international headlines, Sadr’s native-born movement was the first Shi’a militia to organize on the ground, and benefited from a hierarchy of rank in a country where most men have undergone military training.
Sadr’s stamp of approval on his personal website’s belligerent commentary should come as little surprise. Recently, he has ramped up the anti-American rhetoric as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki weighs a decision to request that some of America’s 47,000 troops stay in Iraq beyond January 1, 2012 — a deadline agreed upon between both countries in 2008.
What’s alarming is the fact that 60,000 desperate Iraqi youths, living in the country’s urban slums and armed to the teeth by their Shi’a counterparts in Tehran, may not pose the real threat to Iraq’s political stability.
The cleric, who recently returned to Iraq from Iran after three years of self-imposed exile and clerical training, has emerged as one of the kingmakers in Iraqi politics. Sadr has deployed a unique blend of religious nationalism, mixed with scorching anti-Americanism, to promote his image as the defender of Iraq’s Shi’a community. This political maturation enabled his Free Movement party to become the only faction to gain new parliamentary seats in the last election.
We all know that politics makes for strange bedfellows. The months of political horse-trading that followed Iraq’s 2010 parliamentary election proved no exception, producing peculiar marriage of convenience between Sadr and Prime Minister Maliki. Backed by U.S. forces in 2008, Mr. Maliki launched an offensive against Sadr’s Mehdi Army on his home-turf in Baghdad’s “Sadr City” neighborhood. Although they eventually reached a cease-fire, Sadr’s criticism of the Prime Minister’s special relationship with “occupying forces” persisted, while he continued to demand the complete withdrawal of America’s military presence. Ultimately, however, his 39 parliamentary seats provided the necessary support for Mr. Maliki to create a ruling coalition.
Strangely, it was Sadr’s embrace of the political process that allowed parliament to operate, given its fragile profile. If the U.S. military decides to stay beyond its formal date of departure, it will be at Prime Minister al-Maliki’s request. That appeal will assure Muqtada al-Sadr’s reprisal of a role he knows all too well, only this time, he wouldn’t require heavy explosives to destroy the country’s parliament. Rather, he can demolish the government politically, by withdrawing his party’s support for al-Maliki’s ruling coalition.
This action will send Iraq into a tailspin even his Mehdi Army could not hope to achieve.
About the Author
Reid Smith is a staff writer and editor at FreedomWorks.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (30) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Reid Smith
More Articles From Special Report
http://spectator.org/archives/2011/06/28/an-iraqi-time-bomb
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Melvin| 6.28.11 @ 6:45AM
Well, well, well look what the vermin dragged back into Iraq. Old Baby Huey himself, Muqtada "Chubby Cheeks" al-Sadr.
Iran's favorite trouble making monkey. Looks like Chubby Cheeks has done more eating of the Koran than studying it. He must be storing up for Ramadan so he doesn't get hungry.
We should have eliminated that fat bastard when he had a chance. No he is coming back like a bad rash that we can't itch.
John Navratil| 6.28.11 @ 10:35AM
Melvin,
Recall the flash point before was in attempting to serve an arrest warrant on al-Sadr (and several followers) for having had one of his political opponents killed. The warrants were sealed by the provisional authority and now he is part of the government. This is, unfortunately, typical for this part of the world. We've tamped down the flames, at great expense, but we have not put out the fire. Get ready for the blowback.
Van James | 6.28.11 @ 8:11AM
It is a very interesting article and I read it with interest. Thanks for the opinion!
Louis Jenkins| 6.28.11 @ 8:30AM
Kinda of figured he'd be back to make trouble in Iraq. 60,000 goons ready to take to the streets, and I thought the Marines had pretty well leveled Sadr City, particularly the second time. They let him slip away, and now he's back. This monkey will be the undoing of Iraq's government, and will start a war (again) if nothing else. That's the trouble with the middle eastern countries. You can't get rid of all of them.
irish19| 6.28.11 @ 11:52PM
Actually, we can. However, we'd need to let the radiation die down before we could get at the oil again.
lydia | 6.28.11 @ 9:15AM
I am a 28 years old doctor, mature and beautiful.and now I am seeking a good man who can give me real love , so i got a username Andromeda2002 on--s'e'ek'c'ou'ga'r.c óm--.it is the first and best club for y'ounger women and old'er men, or older women and y'ounger men,to int'eract with each other. Maybe you wanna ch'eck 'it out or tell your friends!
Kinda of figured he'd be back to make trouble in Iraq. 60,000 goons ready to take to the streets, and I thought the Marines had pretty well leveled Sadr City, particularly the second time.
Dan Hirsch| 6.28.11 @ 9:56AM
Lydia;
Check it out! Your site will get exactly one hit from your moronic postings here: It'll be a troll going by the name of "purpleguy." Stop wasting bandwidth by posting here, please.
Begone!
John Navratil| 6.28.11 @ 10:27AM
Dan Hirsch,
This appears to be the action of a spambot. It's why so many boards have captcha images to prevent automated posting.
Dave Williams| 6.28.11 @ 1:29PM
Second that....she has long since grown tiresome with her come-on and her 1-sentence clips from other folks' posts.
Bob Grant| 6.28.11 @ 6:56PM
Oh come on!!! Her non sequiturs leading to the articles' topic are kinda cute. No?
It tells me that although she's a 28 year MD, she's got a little bimbo in her.
Very attractive!
irish19| 6.28.11 @ 11:54PM
Go for it! Then, report back & tell us what you find out.
Occam's Tool| 6.28.11 @ 1:19PM
A 28 year old woman is a "Cougar?"
irish19| 6.28.11 @ 11:54PM
OT, makes you wonder what age guys she's going after.
Michael Tomlinson| 6.28.11 @ 11:18AM
He should have been eradicated him when he murdered Ayatollah Khoi a moderate Muslim leader the world could have used to counter the jihadist and their supporters.
MTB| 6.28.11 @ 12:38PM
If Monkeytada embraces martyrism so much, let's make him one.
Strudwick Wickerwire| 6.28.11 @ 1:21PM
Why is this piece of human debris still alive???
cicero| 6.28.11 @ 2:58PM
Maliki has himself in a box. By not killing Sadr years ago, and now inviting him back from exile in Iran, he has the choice of begging the U.S. to remain for the rest of his life, or asking the U.S. to leave, and surrender his life. The Middle East is reverting to its time honored methods of regime change to before the era of Western control. Few rulers died in their sleep.
We are fatally arrogant if we think that we, or this period of time, will see anything different. We should abide by our agreements, and leave in January, 2012. The only way they canb survive is to sell their oil. Whether we buy it from a democratically elected government or a theocracy makes little diference to us. How they want to leve their lives is up to them. They have tasted self rule for a short time. If they have fallen love with the taste, they will insure its supply. If not, we can do no more. It is the arrogance of the West to believe that everybody wants to be adopted by us. In reality, they will accept our largess, or steal our goods, but are just fine with their ways, as has been obvious for the past 1400 years or so.
Purple Lips| 6.28.11 @ 4:01PM
I hate to say it, but we can blame W for this. GWBush had both the might and the right to send this fat little freak to Allah on an express JDAM. But, the former President and his cabal of experts wet thier pants. Heck, if we lacked the will we could have had the Poles do the job (they have an excellent spec op team).
Bob Grant| 6.28.11 @ 7:05PM
I find it specious that you "hate to say it".
ArmyGuy| 6.28.11 @ 4:36PM
WE should LONG ago killed this guy. He's an ethnic Iranian and our MORTAL ENEMY. But, we didn't kill him for fear of upsetting some goat herder somewhere. The US simply cannot fight Islamists in the same manner we fought the Germans or the British. The only way, sadly, is to kill them all. If we don't do so, surely they will kill all of us.
weddingdresses | 6.29.11 @ 5:25AM
I hate to say it, but we can blame W for this. GWBush had both the might and the right to send this fat little freak to Allah on an express JDAM. But, the former President and his cabal of experts wet thier pants. Heck, if we lacked the will we could have had the Poles do the job (they have an excellent spec op team).
TrueBlue| 6.29.11 @ 11:09AM
We have enough toys that don't leave significant radiation levels behind. The problems are that nobody has the guts to use them, and the current administration is too busy downsizing our arsenal.
jmuCJ | 6.29.11 @ 3:45PM
Did the Flyers sign Stamkos yet?
GENE HAUBER| 6.30.11 @ 8:22PM
THE USA SHOULD MAKE A POINT OF WASTING THIS ASSHOLE BEFORE WE LEAVE IRAQ
POST American| 7.1.11 @ 12:09AM
"We are using MASSIVE third world
(largely muslim) immigration to destroy
British culture once and for all-----FOREVER."
-TONY BLAIR
Fmr PM/Globalist/Cultural EUGENIST/TRAITOR
(Daily Mail interview)
"We have opened the floodgates
to intentionally humiliate the right."
-GORDON BROWN
Fmr PM/Globalist/Political EUGENIST/TRAITOR
----And likewise here and worldwide.
Catch Napolitano's latest moves for starters.
It's called 'continuity of agenda' ---and it
is taking us to 'AWE-stare-IT--hee' and onwards
to collectivism, yet more RED China TREASON and, finally, 'EUGENICS realism'.
REALLY KIDDIES---------------------------------------
And we're NOT speaking of things VIRTUAL----------