Muqtada Al Sadr And The Battle For The Future Of Iraq Deals on Patrick Cockburn

Muqtada Al-Sadr and the Battle for the Future of Iraq

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Editorial Reviews

Time magazine listed him as one of its "100 People Who Shape Our World." Newsweek featured him on its cover under the headline "How Al-Sadr May Control U.S. Fate in Iraq." Paul Bremer denounced him as a "Bolshevik Islamist" and ordered that he be captured "dead or alive." Who is Muqtada al-Sadr, and why is he so vital to the future of Iraq and, arguably, the entire Middle East?

In this compellingly readable account, prize-winning journalist Patrick Cockburn tells the story of Muqtada's rise to become the leader of Iraq's poor Shi'ites and the resistance to the occupation. Cockburn looks at the killings by Saddam's executioners and hit men of the young cleric's father, two brothers, and father-in-law; his leadership of the seventy-thousand-strong Mehdi Army; the fierce rivalries between him and other Shia religious leaders; his complex relationship with the Iraqi government; and his frequent confrontations with the American military, including battles that took place in Najaf in 2004. The portrait that emerges is of a complex man and a sophisticated politician, who engages with religious and nationalist aspirations in a manner unlike any other Iraqi leader.

Cockburn, who was among the very few Western journalists to remain in Baghdad during the Gulf War and has been an intrepid reporter of Iraq ever since, draws on his extensive firsthand experience in the country to produce a book that is richly interwoven with the voices of Iraqis themselves. His personal encounters with the Mehdi Army include a tense occasion when he was nearly killed at a roadblock outside the city of Kufa.

Though it often reads like an adventure story, Muqtada is also a work of painstaking research and measured analysis that leads to a deeper understanding both of one of the most critical conflicts in the world today and of the man who may well be a decisive voice in determining the future of Iraq when the Americans eventually leave.

Customer Reviews

Would you buy a used Camel from this man?

Reviewed by Douglas E. Libert, 2009-01-16

This book tells alot about the Iraqi Civil War between the Shi'ites and the Sunni with Al-Queda playing both sides to fan the flames.The theme of the book seems to be-Muqtada says,"I don't need help from Iran or the rest of the world to destroy what's left of Iraq circa 2008.I can devastate Iraq all by myself." The first 112 pages of the book are devoted to the history of the Shias in Iraq and the surrounding region and their conflicts over power and influence with the Sunnis. You can't help but get a "desert culture" (no water)!!feeling for the Shias with all of the harsh laws. At the same time the Shias promote legislation and programs designed for the "poor masses",even at times advocating socialistic ideas.A complex combination of austere restrictions mixed with generous giveaway benefits for the "people"?.It somewhat takes the wind out of the sails of the American victory over Iraq in 1991 when one finds out the Iraqi Army(EXCEPT THE REPUBLICAN GUARD) was 80% Shiate and had largely deserted Kuwait well before "Desert Storm".In short the Shias have never wanted any part of Saddams government and they comprised about 60% of his people. The author potrays Muqtada as chaemeleonlike,that is able to adapt different political stances from extreme violence to Ghandilike peacefull resistance.
The latter part of the book goes into the Shia infighting with Muqtada (so far!!) rising to the top of the body count of the suicide bombings between the Shi'ites and the Sunni.Any pro-Western Shia Ayatollahs thus far have had "most unfortunate accidents",loosely(or strongly) linked to Muqtada's crowd.Muqtada inherited his position through family relations and marriages and numerous members of his family were imprisoned and murdered under Saddams' reign.
Is Muqtada a pawn of Iran? The answer is a mild yes and a strong no.Undoubtedly some of his equipment and ideologies are direct Iranian exports but Muqtada tries not to dip too far into the Iranian well.
The verdict on Muqtada's mixture of theocracy and politics is far from final.Good history as I've often heard isn't written until 10 years after the event.This book however looks like a good example of history repeating itself.I'm not holding my breath how this story is going to play out,probably another return to the middle ages ala Afghanistan.At least from the read of this credible work.The author offers a few sentences toward the end of the book about"missed opportunites for peace in Iraq",and offers a solution or two but it doesn't distract from the story as he tells it.right now it seems like Muqtada is at the head of the Shi'ite attempt to remove the Sunni from all the important political posts in Iraq.The Sunnis are not going peacefully.

Could have been great, but it is so biased you almost gag

Reviewed by MS, 2008-11-25

Lots of good information, but in the end the author ends up suffering from the stockholm syndrome; he falls in love with Muqutada. If you loved "Imperial Life in the Emerald City," you'll love this book; Americans are totally clueless, not a brain among them. But if you recognize that, while George Bush or the Coalition didn't cover themselves in glory and did a lot of stupid things, the situation is amazingly complex, you'll probably get sick of the smug and superior cracks that fill the book.

All in all, its full of a lot of good information, and in conjunction with "The Shia Revival," gives you a good understanding of the Shia in Iraq and the forces that drive them.

A Personal View of the Shia Political Culture and Muqtada al-Sadr

Reviewed by Daniel Hurley, 2008-07-04

The author provides both a first hand account of the Shia poltical environment after the fall of Saddam's regime as well as a history of the unique and bitter relationship between the Shia and Saddam that is most interesting for westerners as the author explains not only the conflicts between the Shia and Sunni but also between the Shia themselves. The book is not intended to be a bio of Muqtada al-Sadr but to underline his role in the Shia political conflicts within Iraq today. The most interesting aspects of the book is the telling of how the Shia were punished and killed during Saddam regime particularly Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr's father, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr. In summary yet informative detail, the author explains how the murder of Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr caused a split among the Shia particularly those leaders that fled the country and then returned after Saddam's fall. The best example of this violent split is when Sayyid Abdul Majid al-Khoei returns to Iraq to assume a leadership role among the Shia but then is brutally murdered almost at Muqtada al-Sadr's door step. The slaughter of the Shia after the coalition stopped during Deset Storm, after encouraging an uprising, is well discussed with the bitterness it invoked along with the post Iraq war misunderstandings by the U.S. occupation most noted by Paul Bremmer. This is a very concise but well written educational look at the political situation in Iraq. My only criticism is that books in detail on the middle east should have a glossary of terms and a defined character list, for those less familar with middle east terms and titles, and I include myself, to assist the reader.

In depth look at Iraqi Culture and Politics

Reviewed by Brian Lenzo, 2008-06-05

Cockburn does a wonderful job using day to day interviews to paint a larger picture deserving of the many accolades he has received in the international press. Iraqi society, much more complex and modern than the American media ever paints, is a boiling cauldron fired by the legacy of Saddam, the sanctions, and now the US occupation.

This book is for anyone who wants an understanding of the Iraqi resistance and Muqtada al-Sadr that goes beyond the moronic simplicity of White House press releases.

For What It's Worth

Reviewed by Evan Goodenow, 2008-05-27

Patrick Cockburn's approximately 30 years of covering Iraq give him the institutional memory, historical perspective and varied sources to deliver a nuanced profile of Muqtada al-Sadr. Cockburn is not the type of journalist to hang around hotels hobnobbing with elites to get his stories, but is willing to risk his life.
Cockburn shows that al-Sadr is more pragmatic than radical and that he only has partial control of the Mahdi Army which is less an army than several volunteer militias with varied agendas. The arrogance and brutality of Saddam Hussein and the Americans who overthrew him is also documented and how it allowed al-Sadr to gain power no matter how perilous his grip on it is.