The Wall Street Journal reports today that Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Mahdi Army, plans to transform his militia into a "social services organization". The US Army and other influential Iraq policy wonks are greeting the news with cautious optimisim. Such a wait and see attitude seems understandable, but given Sadr's adherence to previous cease-fire agreements, I would prefer to see the Iraqi government fork over some of their $79 billion surplus and bring Sadr and his followers into the political process.As I've mentioned before (and so has RAND), counter-terrorism (and by extension in Iraq, state-building) requires that citizens trust their government: this is done by strengthening civic institutions. If you're of the mindset that economic growth is more important (and I understand this logic) I would argue that foreign investment and private enterprise will not grow in Iraq until the political process yields some semblance of stability in the country. Such a double-edged sword is difficult to handle. Sadr represents an opportunity for the US to pass the buck and allows Iraqis a chance to prove the merits of their burgeoning polticial system.
Sadr is a smart man. He has weathered various changes in opinion and strategy in Iraq and managed to stay relevant. There is no doubt in my mind this is his first step into the political arena. Given his influence, and the stalled provincial elections, we should encourage such a move. While it may irk hard-liners and military types, bringing former militants into the fold is the best way to pacify a country and encourage democratic growth. There is precedent for succcess (Nepal, Northern Ireland) and we should encourage unifying elements that the surge has quieted but also fragmented. Speeches seem to unify people better than guns.
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