Iraq’s Political Chaos Is a Win for Iran and Headache for the US
With Moqtada al-Sadr withdrawing from Iraq's democratic process, pro-Tehran Shiites will regain the upper hand.
He’ll have them back in the streets soon.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Iraq is facing summer of discontent after its most popular politician pulled his party out of parliament, having failed to form a government. But even as Baghdad braces for months of turmoil in the streets, the wider world should gird for the economic and security fallout.
The likeliest outcome of Moqtada al-Sadr’s decision to withdraw from the political process is a return to the violent protests that racked the country in late 2019 and early 2020. If anything, the coming upheaval will be even more disruptive, since Sadr’s supporters — who pulled out of the previous protests — are better organized than the leaderless cohort at the core of those demonstrations.