Another Political Icon passes on....
As America mourns and remembers Senator Kennedy, another iconic figure in Iraqi Politics passed away from cancer as well. Abdul Aziz Al Hakim died of lung cancer in Tehran. He was the scion of a family that saw six of seven brothers fall victim to the butcher Saddam and over 50 extended family members executed. His Badr Organization fought alongside Iran and became a crucial player in post-saddam Iraq.
What is worrisome is how dangerous and unstable Iraq is. The leadership continues to have ever more a burden to figure out a way to emerge from this. I find the changes in the Shia Leadership block interesting. But, whether it helps the long-term interests of Iraq remains to be seen.
Mike Pouraryan
