Iraq’s Shia power struggle
The Riz Khan Show asks if Iraq is on the verge of a new civil war.
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| Tensions remain high between the different factions of Iraq’s Shia majority |
More than 300 people were killed and 500 injured in last week’s violence between the Iraqi government and the followers of Muqtada al-Sadr, one of the country’s most powerful religious and political leaders. While Iraqis are hoping for calm in Baghdad and Basra after Sadr declared a ceasefire over the weekend, tensions remain high between the different factions of Iraq’s Shia majority.
But who is Muqtada al-Sadr, and what role does he play in Iraq? Is the country on the verge of a new civil war?
On Monday Riz speaks with two people with firsthand knowledge of the situation in Iraq. Patrick Cockburn is the Iraq correspondent for the UK-based Independent. He is the author of the newly released book, Muqtada: Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia Revival and the Struggle for Iraq.
And Laith Kubba was the Iraqi government spokesman and a senior advisor to Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the former Iraqi prime minister, throughout 2005. He is currently the director for the Middle East and North Africa at the US government’s National Endowment of Democracy.
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This episode of Riz Khan aired on Monday, March 31, 2008
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