Hakim-Sadr Pact: A New Era in Shiite Politics? - Babak Rahimi, Jamestown Foundation, 29 Oct.
The recent "pact of honor" made by two of Iraq's most influential Shiite clerics, Moqtada al-Sadr and Abdul Aziz al-Hakim—aimed at preventing violence and helping to maintain the "Islamic and national interest" of Iraq—appears to signal a significant shift toward stability in Iraq. The two leaders have pledged to enhance relations between their respective groups, merging media and cultural projects, and to refrain from launching negative propaganda against each other (Fars News Agency, October 6). Yet, more importantly, the pact calls for promotion of the legal-political order of post-Baathist Iraq, a major move that could give new life to Nuri al-Maliki's government and curtail potential violence in the south. As the first official agreement between these two prominent leaders, the forged pact can also be recognized as a huge step in improving intra-Shiite relations ...
Analysis continues and notes that basic cleavages between Sadr and SCIRI remain despite the agreement, which Rahimi sees as principally spurred by both Iran and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.