A spokesman for firebrand Shi’a cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr announced Thursday that he will deliver “a very important speech” Saturday at his home outside the Shi’a holy city of Najaf. Having returned from nearly four years of self-imposed exile in Iran, the newly minted kingmaker is expected to announce his personal take on Iraq’s delicate political balance.
If his security detail (clad in matching gray suits and dark sunglasses worthy of Obama’s secret service) is any indication of his evolution from populist rabble-rouser to political power-broker, it might suggest an evolution toward the mainstream that could help stabilize Iraq. Sadr, whose paramilitary attempted two, high-profile rebellions against US and British military forces in 2008, appears keen to lose his image as a radical and slip into a statesman’s role. Feared, reviled and revered, Sadr has officially staked his claim to his personal legacy and his nation’s future.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
