Muqtada strikes another political blow

[bemildred]

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More than ever before, Muqtada is proving to be a pragmatic politician who has surpassed all expectations. Who is the mastermind behind his political scheming, however, is unclear, since Muqtada clearly could not formulate strategy and take political initiatives of the sort he is doing without the advice of seasoned statesmen.

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Muqtada learned fast, however, probably inspired by the Hezbollah model in Lebanon and the character of its very popular and charismatic leader, Hassan Nasrallah. The Lebanese chief also came to power at an early age, in his early 30s, and managed to impose himself on everybody and everything in Lebanon within a relatively short time.

This is becoming increasingly true of Muqtada. Many believed initially that Muqtada had one prime objective - evacuation of US troops. They saw him as a political player only when it came to combating the US, not thinking that he had a serious political agenda for himself and his followers.

Today, three years later, it is clear that Muqtada's agenda surpasses withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. He has a much more ambitious aim: ruling Iraq. Wisdom started showing when he laid down his arms at the request of Sistani, to avoid a bloodbath for the Shi'ite community. He promised to take part in the political process and came across as an obedient man who would listen to advice from veterans like Sistani.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/II18Ak04.html