Iran's Influence on Iraq
CNN reports : The fighting among Shiite militias and government troops in Basra is a glimpse of Iraq's future, and pivotal cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is in deep trouble, according to two CNN correspondents and a CNN military analyst. The fiery religious leader has a loyal following in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood and other enclaves thanks to generous social programs, but his political movement, his Mehdi Army militia and the cease-fire al-Sadr recently extended are no match for Iranian intrigue, according to CNN's experts. " Al-Sadr is involved in a very complicated relationship with the Iranians ," said CNN Baghdad correspondent Michael Ware. " The Iranians do provide funding and support for his militia, yet at the same time they're trying to rein him in and get him to adopt a certain political agenda, which from time to time he resists ." Ware said Iran wants to use al-Sadr's populist base to advance its agenda in Iraq. " However, they don...