, Columnist
Iraq’s Shiite Elite Close Ranks Against Protests
Moqtada al-Sadr’s about-face leaves the demonstrators vulnerable, and the country in greater peril.
He’s had a change of heart.
Photographer: Haidar Hamdan/AFP
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Over the past weekend, the anti-government protests in Iraq reached a critical juncture, with the Shiite political elite uniting to put down this rebellion. The leaderless protest movement, its ranks made up mainly of Shiite youths, now finds itself confronting a solid block of organized political opposition.
The turning point came when the volatile Shiite cleric-politician Moqtada al-Sadr withdrew his support for the protesters, paving the way for a bloody crackdown by security forces.