True to form, The New York Sun's Eli Lake is ahead of the competition on the Iraqi politics beat -- and he's reporting from Washington!
Mr. Lake today reports that Ahmad Chalabi, recently sidelined by his former allies in Washington, has formed a Shiite political group called the Shiite Political Council.
This is a hugely important development.
Shiite Muslims, which represent about 2/3 of the population in Iraq, are increasingly feeling politically alienated. They are concerned about the resurgence of a Sunni-dominated business class, and the threat from the establishment order in the Arab world, which doesn't want to see Shiites in any positions of authority. These people want power, and rightly so -- they are the majority faction in the country.
If - and it's a big if at this point - this new group can establish itself as the most credible and legitimate political voice of Iraqi Shiism, look out. Especially if Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani is brought onside, this group could become an alternative government.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 3:36 PM
