Source: TRT World
Carnegie’s Renad Mansour joined TRT World to dicuss on-going significant developments in Iraqi politics. Primarily, Mansour commented on the protests led by Shia cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr and Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi’s cabinet reshuffle and reforms.
Mansour argued that Abadi would have to listen to Al-Sadr’s demands for institutional and structural change, and Abadi knows it. He reiterated that Abadi himself is moving in the direction of reform and working towards establishing a technocratic cabinet.
Mansour discussed how Al-Sadr was able to mobilize large support for sit-ins and protests both inside and outside the Green Zone. Al-Sadr’s support primarily comes from southern Iraq and Baghdad but his increased acceptance and support is related to Al-Sadr’s efforts to rebrand himself as an Iraqi nationalist.