The Rise of Moqtada Al Sadr and His Movements in Iraq in The Frame of The Developments in The Middle East

Year 2018, Volume: 20 Issue: 1, 57 - 71, 01.06.2018

Selim Öztürk

Abstract

Moqtada al Sadr suddenly rose in the political scene of Iraq as the forth-coming party among others in the 12 May election. The main feature of Moqtada’s movement was its nationalist stance against the Iranian influence and the USA interference in Iraqi affairs. On the other side, Sadr began to be known with his good relations with the Saudis in recent years. The elections in both Iraq and Lebanon is an important turning point that will determine about the rivalry and competition between Iran and the Saudis in the region. The rule of Iraq passed from the Sunnis to the Shiites after the 2003 invasion. The Shiite rule still goes on in Iraq but the cleavage within the Iraqi Shiite circles led some of the Shiite groups to get in alliance with the Saudis against Iran. The US withdrawal from nuclear deal, the opening of US embassy in Jerusalem are also other developments, which will influence the Middle East in near future

Keywords

Moqtada al Sadr, 12 May Election, Iran, Saudis, Iraq

Ortadoğu’daki Gelişmeler Çerçevesinde Mukteda El Sadr ve Hareketinin Irak’ta Yükselişi

Abstract

Mukteda el Sadr, 12 Mayıs seçimlerinde diğer partiler arasından önde çıkarak aniden Irak’ın siyaset sahnesinde yükselişe geçmiştir. Mukteda’nın hareketinin temel özelliği İran etkisine ve ABD’nin Irak’ın meselelerine karışmasına karşı milliyetçi duruşudur. Diğer taraftan Sadr, son yıllarda Suudilerle iyi ilişkileri ile bilinmeye başlamıştır. Hem Irak hem de Lübnan’daki seçimler bölgede İran ve Suudiler arasındaki rekabet ve yarış hakkında karar verecek olan önemli bir dönüm noktasıdır. Irak’ın yönetimi 2003 işgali sonrası Sünnilerden Şiilere geçmiştir. Şii yönetim Irak’ta hala devam etmektedir ama Irak’ın Şii çevrelerindeki kırılma bazı Şii grupların İran’a karşı Suudilerle ittifak kurmasına yol açmıştır. ABD’nin nükleer antlaşmadan çekilmesi ve Kudüs’te ABD büyükelçiliğinin açılması ayrıca yakın gelecekte Ortadoğu’ya etki edecek diğer gelişmelerdir

Keywords

Mukteda el Sadr, 12 Mayıs Seçimleri, İran, Suudiler, Irak

References

• Ajami, Fouad, (2006), The Foreigner’s Gift: The Americans, the Arabs, and the Iraqis in Iraq, New York: Free Press.
• Al Jazeera, (2018). “US Approves Proposed $1bn Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia” 23 Mart 2018
• https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/approves-proposed-1bn-arms-sale-saudi-ara- bia-180323090745361.html (E.T.: 29 Mayıs 2018).
• Ajroudi, Asma, (2018), “Unpicking The Results Of Lebanon’s Elections”, Al Jazeera, 10 Mayıs 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/05/unpicking-results-lebanon-ele- ctions-180510171253490.html (E.T: 28 Mayıs 2018).
• Arab News, (2018), “Lebanon President Michel Aoun has designated Saad Al-Hariri as PM: Presidency Office”, 24 Mayıs 2018, http://www.arabnews.com/node/1309021 (E.T: 31 Mayıs 2018).
• Alaaldin, Ranj, (2018), “What Iraq’s Election Means for Its Shiite Militias”, Washin- gton Post, 12 Mayıs 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-ca- ge/wp/2018/05/12/how-iraqs-election-will-affect-its-shiite-militias/?noredire- ct=on&utm_term=.ac55075960bb (E.T:27 Mayıs 2018).
• Al Marashi, Ibrahim, (2018), “How Iraq’s Elections Proved ‘Status Quo’ Expectations Wrong”, Al Jazeera, 14 Mayıs 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opini- on/iraq-elections-proved-status-quo-expectations-wrong-180514151353581.html (E.T:26 Mayıs 2018).
• Aboulenein, Ahmed ve Chmaytelli, Maher, (2018), “Populist Cleric Sadr All but Wins Iraq Election”, Reuters, 13 Mayıs 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-ele- ction/populist-cleric-sadr-all-but-wins-iraq-election-idUSKCN1IE091 ( E.T:30 Mayıs 2018).
• Al Jazeera, (2018), “Iraq Elections Final Results: Sadr’s Bloc Wins Parliamentary Poll”, 20 Mayıs 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/05/iraq-election-final-re- sults-sadr-bloc-wins-parliamentary-polls-180519071930804.html ( E.T:30 Mayıs 2018).
• Ajroudi, Asma ve Chughtai, Alia, (2018), “Lebanon Elections 2018: Politics As Usual”, Al Jazeera, 2 Mayıs 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/lebanon-electi- ons-2018-politics-usual-180501091710689.html ( E.T: 31 Mayıs 2018).
• Barnard, Anne, (2016), “Saudi Arabia Cuts Billions In Aid To Lebanon, Opening Door for Iran”, New York Times, 2 Mart 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/03/world/ middleeast/saudi-arabia-cuts-billions-in-aid-to-lebanon-opening-door-for-iran.html ( E.T: 29 Mayıs 2018).
• Bengio, Ofra ve Litvak, Meir (ed.) (2011), The Sunna And Shi’a In History: Division and Ecumenism in The Muslim Middle East, New York, N.Y.: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Beaumont, Peter, (2018), “Iraq Elections: Who Is Moqtada Al-Sadr?”, The Guardian, 14 Mayıs 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/14/iraq-elections-who-is- moqtadr-al-sadr (E.T: 26 Mayıs 2018).
• BBC, (2018), “Iraq Election: Prime Minister Trails Rivals”, 14 Mayıs 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-44104600 (E.T: 28 Mayıs 2018).
• BBC, (2017), “Iraq Profile – Timeline”, 12 July 2017, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14546763 (E.T:27 Mayıs 2018).
• BBC, (2006), “Guide To Iraqi Political Parties”, 20 Ocak 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/ hi/middle_east/4511450.stm (E.T: 25 Mayıs 2018).
• BBC Türkçe, (2017), “Times: Suudi Arabistan Filistin Lideri Abbas’a Ültimatom Verdi, ‘Ya ABD Planını Kabul Et Ya Da Istifanı Ver’ Dedi”, 14 Kasım 2017, https://www.bbc. com/turkce/41978778 (E.T: 26 Mayıs 2018).
• Commins, David Dean, (2012), The Gulf States: A Modern History, London: I.B. Tauris.
• Chulov, Martin, (2018), “Iraq Election Propels Firebrand Cleric From Fringes To Cent- re Stage”, 14 Mayıs 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/14/cle- ric-moqtadr-al-sadr-who-fought-us-takes-surprise-lead-in-iraq-elections (E.T: 28 Ma- yıs 2018).
• Coker, Margaret ve Gladstone, Rick, (2018), “Iraqi Voters Strengthen Hand of Militia Leader Who Battled U.S.”, New York Times, 14 Mayıs 2018, https://www.nytimes. com/2018/05/14/world/middleeast/iraq-election-moktada-al-sadr.html (E.T: 27 Mayıs 2018).
• Deutche Well, (2018), “Lewis Sanders, ‘’Who Is Muqtada Al-Sadr, Iraq’s Influential Shiite Cleric?”, 14 Mayıs 2018, http://www.dw.com/en/who-is-muqtada-al-sadr-iraqs-influ- ential-shiite-cleric/a-43777944 (E.T: 27 Mayıs 2018).
• El-Ghobashy, Tamer ve Selim, Mustafa, (2018), “Shiite Cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr Takes Surprise Lead In Iraq’s Election As Prime Minister Falters”, Washington Post, 13 Ma- yıs 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/boycotters-shake-up-i- raqs-election-which-was-marked-by-historically-low-turnout/2018/05/13/1a415710-5 535-11e8-a6d4-ca1d035642ce_story.html?utm_term=.ba186c944fcb (E.T: 28 Mayıs 2018).
• Ensor, Josie, (2018), “Firebrand Cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr Takes Shock Lead In Iraq Electi- on”, Telegraph, 14 Mayıs 2018, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/05/14/shia-c- leric-muqtada-al-sadr-takes-shock-lead-iraq-election/ (E.T: 29 Mayıs 2018).
• Hearst, David, (2018), “Iraq Elections: The Great Game for Regional Influence”, Middle East Eye, 11 Mayıs 2018, http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/iraq-elections-gre- at-game-regional-influence-321551418 (E.T: 29 Mayıs 2018).
• Kepel, Gilles, (2004), The War for Muslim Minds: Islam And The West, Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
• Keynoush, Banafsheh, (2016), Saudi Arabia And Iran: Friends or Foes? New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Lawrence, B. (ed.) (2005), Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama Bin Laden, London; New York: Verso.
• Manifesto, (2017), “Irak’ta Şii Sadr ve ‘Komünist’ İş Birliği”, 22 Ağustos 2017, http:// gazetemanifesto.com/2017/08/22/irakta-sii-sadr-komunist-isbirligi/ (E.T: 30 Mayıs 2018).
• Mamouri, Ali, (2018), “Iraqi Election Results Shock Political Class’’, Al Monitor, 14 Ma- yıs 2018, https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/05/iraq-election-sadr-fa- teh.html (E.T: 29 Mayıs 2018).
• MacDonald, Alex, (2018), “Iraqi Communists and Shia Sadrists Unite To Tackle Corrup- tion And Sectarianism”, Middle East Eye, 28 Şubat 2018, http://www.middleeasteye. net/news/sadr-communists-1162425769 (E.T: 31 Mayıs 2018).
• Nasr, Seyyed Vali Reza, (2006), The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future, New York: W.W. Norton.
• Stern, Jessica ve Berger, J.M., (2015), ISIS: The State of Terror, London: William Collins.
• Sputniknews, (2018), “Suudi Veliaht Prensi: Filistinliler Ya Trump’ın Planını Kabul Et- sin Ya Da Çenelerini Kapasın”, 30 Nisan 2018, https://tr.sputniknews.com/ortado- gu/201804301033243414-suudi-veliaht-prensi-filistinliler-ya-trumpin-planini-ka- bul-etsin-ya-da-cenelerini-kapasin/ (E.T: 30 Mayıs 2018).
• Shaheen, Kareem, (2017), “Lebanese PM Saad Hariri Suspends Resignation”, The Gu- ardian, 22 Kasım 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/22/lebane- se-pm-saad-hariri-suspends-resignation (E.T: 31 Mayıs 2018).
• Sengupta, Kim, (2011), “Mehdi Army Leader Ends His Exile And Returns To Baghdad”, Independent, 6 Haziran 2011, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-e- ast/mehdi-army-leader-ends-his-exile-and-returns-to-baghdad-2177178.html (E.T: 28 Mayıs 2018).
• Shadid, Anthony, (2011), “Iraq’s Last Patriot”, The New York Times, 4 Şubat 2011, https:// www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/magazine/06ALLAWI-t.html (E.T: 30 Mayıs 2018).
• Yaphe, Judith S. (2012), “Maliki’s Manuevering In Iraq”, Foreign Policy, 6 Haziran 2012
• http://foreignpolicy.com/2012/06/06/malikis-manuevering-in-iraq/ (E.T: 30 Mayıs 2018).