Sajad Jiyad

During decades of turmoil, war, and regime change in Iraq, one influential figure has loomed above all others: Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. As the revered senior Shia cleric in a Shia-majority country, Sistani commands the loyalty of millions of faithful. With quiet authority, Sistani has tried from behind the scenes to steer Iraq through a series of existential crises since the U. S. invasion and fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003. Century International fellow Sajad Jiyad draws on new sources and hundreds of interviews during decades of fieldwork inside Iraq to argue that Sistani has redefined the role of the Shia clergy and created a model of indirect influence that starkly differs from Iran's approach of direct clerical rule. Contenders have already begun positioning themselves to succeed Sistani, and Jiyad assesses the players and the complex selection process for Najaf's leadership. Observers of Iraq and of Shia power will find God's Man in Iraq: The Life and Leadership of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani an incomparable appraisal of Sistani's legacy-and an invaluable guide to the perilous transition that will follow his tenure.

Shia politics roared to the center of power in Iraq after the U. S. invasion in 2003 after decades of marginalization under Saddam Hussein. A new generation of clerics and politicians, self-described as Shia Islamists, promised a revolution in law and governance. The meaning of Shia Islamism today is murkier than ever. A confusing array of factions all wear the label, which does nothing to explain their positions on questions ranging from sectarianism to the role of faith in politics to any of Iraq's manifold pressing crises of governance. Shia Power Comes of Age: The Transformation of Islamist Politics in Iraq, 2003-2023 maps the radical transformation of Shia Islamist politics in Iraq over the last two decades. Researchers deeply steeped in Iraq's Shia communities, clerics, and politicians analyze the significance of the new status quo politics for Islamists and sectarian movements farther afield. Contributors include Taif AlKhudary, Ali Al-Mawlawi, Marsin Alshamary, Haley Bobseine, Thanassis Cambanis, Maria Fantappie, Fanar Haddad, Sajad Jiyad, Renad Mansour, and Ben Robin-D'Cruz. About the editors: Thanassis Cambanis is a senior fellow at The Century Foundation and director of Century International. Sajad Jiyad is a fellow at Century International and director of Iraq Bridge in Baghdad.