Moqtada Sadr arrived in Damascus this week taking time off from his clerical studies in the Iranian holy city of Qom in an effort to kick start a stalled political process in Baghdad.  

Sadr during meetings with Iraqiya leader Iyad Allawi expressed his support for his brothers in the secular alliance.

“Sadr is at the opposite pole from Allawi on the secular/religious axis, but they are both Iraqi nationalists and could conceivably come to an accommodation,” said Daniel Serwer, vice president of the Centers of Innovation at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Iraqi leaders, however, have been unable to find a consensus candidate for prime minister and other top Cabinet officials following a divisive March 7 election.

With this in mind, MEPEI is re-introducing a series by Daniel Graeber highlighting Sadr’s political influence in Iraq in an effort to cast light on recent political developments.

You can find it here and here.