Middle East Economic Survey

VOL. XLVII

No 33

16-August-2004

The Political Scene (16 August 2004)

Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi with the help of the US army has embarked on what looks like a showdown with Muqtada al-Sadrs Mahdi army militia in Najaf, a high-stakes confrontation fraught with consequences for the countrys (and Dr Allawis) future. Relations between Baghdad and Tehran have been further strained by the insurgency in the south as Iraqi officials repeat and amplify accusations of...