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Middle East Review of International Affairs
Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and the Democratization of post-Saddam Iraq
by Babak Rahimi
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Abstract
This paper describes the importance of Ayatollah Sistani and his religious network in shaping post-Saddam Iraq. This study shows how a moderate form Shi'i Islam can form a powerful web of networks that could strengthen a future Shi'i civil society in southern Iraq, playing a crucial role in the building of democratic governance at the local level in major southern Iraqi cities.
Full Text (PDF, 8 pages, 54.6 KB)
Note *: Dr. Babak Rahimi has recently received his PhD from the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.