Publication

This report examines the rise of Muqtada al-Sadr and the Sadrist movement from being dismissed as marginal to being a serious political actor and key to stability in Iraq. According to the authors, al-Sadr has secured strong legitimacy in the eyes of his constituency because the movement's demands reflect many justified grievances. They strongly recommend to treat al-Sadr as a legitimate, representative political actor in order to bring the Sadrists and their social base into the political process and defuse the movement's violent potential.