Sectarian Relapse: Lessons of the “Shia House”

November 01, 2023

Read in Arabic / اقرأ باللغة العربية

Read in Arabic / اقرأ باللغة العربية

This commentary was published only in Arabic. Click “read in Arabic” above to read the commentary.

Tags: iraq, Iraqi politics

Thanassis Cambanis, Senior Fellow and Director of Century International

Thanassis Cambanis is an author, journalist, and director of Century International. His work focuses on U.S. foreign policy, Arab politics, and social movements in the Middle East.

RAMALLAH - DECEMBER 09: People walk through a market in central Ramallah on December 09, 2023 in Ramallah. According to new estimates by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), if the war in Gaza continues for a second month the poverty rate in the State of Palestine will rise by 34 percent, placing nearly half a million additional people into poverty. Israel's war against Hamas that was sparked by the Oct. 7 attacks has also made life more volatile in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Israeli forces here have stepped up raids on alleged militants, police have clashed with protesters, and there has been a rise in violent attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers. Last month, Hamas also claimed responsibility for a deadly shooting in Jerusalem by two brothers from the eastern part of the city. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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BEIRUT, LEBANON - FEBRUARY 23: A woman cries during the funerals for former Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine at the Sports City Stadium on February 23, 2025 in Beirut, Lebanon. Tens of thousands of people have gathered in Beirut to attend the funeral of Hezbollah's former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, nearly five months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital. Nasrallah founded and led the Shi'ite Muslim group for 30 years, through decades of conflict with Israel and became one of the most prominent Arab figures in generations. (Photo by Daniel Carde/Getty Images)

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BEIRUT, LEBANON - FEBRUARY 23: An illustration of former Hezbollah leaders, Hassan Nasrallah, left, and Hashem Safieddine, are seen at the stage for their funerals at the Sports City Stadium on February 23, 2025 in Beirut, Lebanon. Tens of thousands of people have gathered in Beirut to attend the funeral of Hezbollah's former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, nearly five months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital. Nasrallah founded and led the Shi'ite Muslim group for 30 years, through decades of conflict with Israel and became one of the most prominent Arab figures in generations. (Photo by Daniel Carde/Getty Images)

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Sectarian Relapse: Lessons of the “Shia House”

Thanassis Cambanis, Senior Fellow and Director of Century International

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