God's Man in Iraq

<p><span style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">During decades of turmoil, war, and regime change in Iraq, one influential figure has loomed above all others: Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">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.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">Century International fellow</span><em style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)"> </em><span style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">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.&nbsp;</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">Contenders have already begun positioning themselves to succeed Sistani, and Jiyad assesses the players and the complex selection process for Najaf's leadership.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">Observers of Iraq and of Shia power will find </span><em style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">God's Man in Iraq</em><span style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">: </span><em style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">The Life and Leadership of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani </em><span style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">an incomparable appraisal of Sistani's legacy-and an invaluable guide to the perilous transition that will follow his tenure.</span></p>