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Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20040825-085754-2929r.htm
The Najaf Showdown
(Washington Times) Hiwa Osman- A serious misunderstanding of Iraq is developing in the West. Muqtada al-Sadr is not a populist; the Najaf standoff has little to do with Iraqi popular will and everything to do with Iranian political muscle flexing. For the majority of the Iraqi people, al-Sadr is little more than a low-level cleric cum outlaw who is being exploited by Iran to undermine an emerging Iraqi state. It is not in Iran's interest, nor in the interest of the autocratic countries of the region, to have a functioning democracy in Iraq. A stable, democratic Iraq will become a haven for the democratic opposition movements in neighboring countries.