Bowing to the Mighty Ayatollah: With both its authority and its transition plans in jeopardy, the administration has decided the United Nations has some legitimacy after all.(the political influence of Ayatollah Sistani)

Publication: Newsweek

Publication Date: 26-JAN-04

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Byline: Fareed Zakaria

There really should be no contest. On one side is history's most important superpower, victorious in war, ruling Iraq with 150,000 troops and funding its reconstruction to the tune of $20 billion this year. On the other side is an aging cleric with no formal authority, no troops, little money, who is unwilling to even speak in public. Yet last June, when Ayatollah Sistani made it known that he didn't like the American plan to transfer power to Iraqis, the plan collapsed. And last week, when Sistani announced that he is still unhappy with the new American proposal, Paul Bremer rushed to Washington for consultations. What does this man have that the United States doesn't?...

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