Publication

This paper examines the role of Ayatollah Ali Hussaini Sistani in the democratization of post-Ba'athist Iraq. The paper sheds light on Sistani's transnational network, outlines his attitudes toward Iraq's democratization and constitution and asks who might succeed after him. The author argues that Sistani’s religious network is increasingly becoming an important source of local governance in Southern Iraq, yet, his influence has diminished since the February 2006 bombing of the Shi'a shrine in Samarra and the ensuing increase in Sunni–Shi'a violence.