As quickly as Baghdad erupted, Moqtada al-Sadr's supporters went home. All it took was a word from the leader, a demonstration of force by the populist Shiite cleric as protracted coalition-building in Iraq spills over into a power play with neighbouring Iran. Can Sadr stare down pressure from across the border? His umpteenth announcement on Monday that he was quitting politics was the signal for clashes that killed at least 30 people.
His followers braved bullets and took a leaf out of Sri Lanka's recent uprising by storming government house and taking a dive in its giant Saddam Hussein-era pool. Now, after Monday's euphoria and bloodshed, comes a sudden cooling off. What's next?
Will the showdown between Iraq's Shiites break a ten-month-old stalemate in forming a government and has the spectre of civil war dissipated for good? Can nationalist and pro-Tehran rivals afford to play with fire after seeing off the 2019 uprising from the Shiite heartland that challenged the corruption and mismanagement of the status quo?
Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Juliette Laurain and Imen Mellaz.
